A noontime rally, complete with T-shirts and cake, was held Monday at the corner of Third and Victoria to kick off National Victims of Crime Awareness Week in Prince George.
A series of workshops will be held over the next four days, but even if you can't make it to an event, there is a way to pitch in.
"Take five, be the change change," said Prince George and District Elizabeth Fry Society programs manager Bally Bassi.
In other words, take five hours, five minutes, or even just five seconds, to make a difference in preventing violence and crime.
"It's taking a leadership role to raise awareness," Bassi said. "If it's bullying, you're not going to be tolerating bullying. If it's around identity theft, you're not going to tolerate that. You're going to take some action...speaking out about it."
Last week, the federal Conservatives introduced legislation to create a Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.
"Victims will have a right to understand the process and have more rights to speak out about their victimization," Bassi said.
Among the new provisions included in Bill C-32, victims will be able to request a copy of a bail order, a probation order or the details of a conditional release.
Victims will also have the right to have the courts consider making a restitution order in all cases and to have such orders registered as a civil court judgment against the offender if the money isn't paid.
Other measures include a standardized victim-impact form that could also be used by review boards deciding what should happen to someone found not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder.
It would also allow witnesses to testify anonymously in certain cases.
Here's a look at the events schedule for the week:
- On Tuesday, the Bank of Canada and RCMP will host a workshop, entitled "I'm You, Not Me" on protecting yourself against scams and identify theft at the Civic Centre, 6:30-8 p.m.
- On Wednesday, "I'm Not Black and Blue," a workshop that looks at how men can combat domestic violence will be held at the Family Resource Centre, 1200 La Salle Ave., 2-4 p.m.
- On Thursday, "Safe?," a breakfast workshop on how men can combat sexual violence will be held at the Native Friendship Centre, 9-11 a.m. And a gala honouring those who've made a difference combatting violence and who work in victim services will be held at the Coast Inn of the North, 6-9 p.m.
On Friday, "Say No to a Hit," a workshop exploring the issues around gangs, will be held at the Family Resource Centre, 1200 La Salle Ave., 9-11 a.m.
All the events are free to the public. Those interested in attending are asked to call RCMP Victim Services at 250-561-3391 to register.
