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I AM EVIDENCE examines problem of untested rape kits
After years starring in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska Hargitay is now highlighting the subject matter in a new way by producing I AM EVIDENCE, a sobering and timely look at the way rape kits have been left to languish, a policy decision with the ghastly effect of enabling serial perpetrators to continue assaulting women.
Mariska Hargitay’s new documentary shines light on epidemic of untested rape kits
The HBO documentary ‘I am Evidence,’ produced by actress Mariska Hargitay, follows women who reported sexual assaults and provided DNA evidence but discovered it was never tested.
The rape kit backlog shows exactly how we regard women in this country
There are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits currently sitting in police storage across the country. So, how did we get here?
That’s the question actress and activist Mariska Hargitay answers in her new HBO documentary “I Am Evidence,” set to air April 16. The film, co-produced by the “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star and Trish Adlesic, and co-directed by Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir, takes a human approach to an epidemic that has reduced survivors, their stories and their trauma to a box of evidence.
A wrenching dilemma
Across the country, decades’ worth of rape kits are finally being tested, but no one can agree on what to do next. A story of good intentions—and government blunders.
Rape is the only crime where the victim is treated like a suspect, investigator says
Texas Chief Investigator and Sexual Assault Investigation Trainer, Wayne Springer, says an officer’s job is to collect and send the facts, not pass judgment. “This is the only crime you'll ever see that the victim becomes the accused almost instantly,” Springer explains.
Shelved PSA Spotlights the Rape Kit Backlog
Joyful Heart launched today a new national PSA campaign, Shelved, to raise awareness about the untested rape kit backlog and engage the public in helping us solve this problem. Through this campaign, we are seeking to activate grassroots support for our work in state capitols around the country to change the way rape kits are handled, expand survivors’ rights, and ensure every single kit is tested. Every single kit, in every state.
2017 In Review: Thank You For Sharing Our Joyful Journey
Hope. Joy. Possibility. We were founded on these values and in 2017, they are at the heart of everything we do.
The volume on the conversation about sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse is up and getting louder every day as all eyes, ears, and hearts are turned toward these issues. The collective voices of survivors are powerful, strong, and undeniable. We are surrounded by meaningful change. And we aren’t going back.
It’s been an extraordinary year for our work at Joyful Heart.
Our Perspective: Texas Rape Kit Reform Paves Way for Justice for Survivors
In June 2017, Texas became the first state in the nation to enact all of Joyful Heart’s six legislative pillars of comprehensive rape kit reform. We asked Ilse Knecht, Joyful Heart’s Director of Policy & Advocacy, what this legislative victory means for our work. Watch a video of her conversation with Christine Show, Digital Platforms Manager.
April: A Month of Healing, Education and Advocacy
As we and our community mobilizes with the renewed commitment to change these statistics—and create a world free of this violence—I wanted to share with you some of the exciting, hopeful, important work that’s happening at Joyful Heart this month.
