Cameron county honors crime victims in Brownsville

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Several county agencies gathered on Monday to honor National Crime Victim's Rights Week at the Market Square in Brownsville.

This year's NCVRW theme is connecting healing. Officials said the goal is to recognize that shared humanity drives vital connections to services, rights, and healing.

In 2025, prevention and resource organizations like Friendship of Women, which serves folks in Cameron County. Its focus is to provide resources for victims of violence and sexual assault, but also recently providing more peer-oriented services.

"We do offer more advocacy, more peer-supported services like counseling, donations, clothing, relocation of location, against they are fleeing from a place," said Karina Vega, Friendship of Women legal advocate. "We also have an emergency shelter."

"You are not alone, you are not alone, and if you are a victim, we are here to help you. We are a community here, we stick together," said Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz. "My job primarily is to hold the perpetrator accountable, and I commit to the public, that is what we are going to do."

Cameron County D.A. said it's thanks to advocate groups like Friendship of Women and Family Crisis Center that victims can lend a helping hand to victims year-round when times get tough.