The office of San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis is reaching out to underserved populations in San Diego County who may not otherwise know where to turn for help when they become a victim of a crime. Through a Spanish-language public service announcement, bus and trolley ads, and through informational brochures translated into Spanish, Tagalog, Arabic and soon Farsi, the DA’s Office is working to help more people than ever. The goal is to educate crime victims who speak those languages about the DA’s Victim Assistance Program, Human Trafficking and their rights under Marsy’s Law.
“Making sure victims know they have a place to go for help is a priority for our office,” Dumanis said. “This campaign is part of our ongoing effort to keep people from being re-victimized by the system. Last year, our Victim Advocates helped nearly 13,000 new victims of crime.”
The DA’s Office Victim Services Division works to reduce the trauma, frustration and inconvenience experienced by victims, witnesses and family members affected by crime. Some of the services provided by the division include crisis intervention, resource and referral assistance, victims of crime claim submission, court support and restitution assistance. Assistance is provided from the moment the crime occurs for as long as assistance is needed; there is no cutoff for assistance by the program.
Through the end of July, the PSA will air on various Spanish-language stations more than 8,390 times. The theme is: crime does not discriminate and anyone can become the victim of a crime. The public service announcements encourage victims of crime to contact the DA’s Victim Assistance Program, which can provide services such as crisis intervention and counseling referrals.
The 2,000 bus and trolley ads will run for four weeks in Spanish and Arabic encouraging victims of crime to seek help. In addition, the DA’s Office has translated outreach materials into Arabic, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and soon Farsi.
These efforts have been made possible in part by a grant from the California Office of Emergency Services.
For more information:
San Diego County District Attorney – Victim Services
View the Spanish-language public service announcement
County News Center