Reunion Online

After San Francisco resident Heather Marlowe was drugged and raped at the city’s annual Bay to Breakers race in May 2010, she trusted local police to process her rape kit–the evidence collected during a forensic exam–and update her if any leads turned up. When they didn’t call for more than a year, she began researching why.

Wayne County, Mich., the region where Detroit is located, has been riddled with problems for decades. But when a massive backlog of rape kits was discovered, a few mighty voices decided to work on changing the way sexual assault is viewed and how victims are treated, while also opening every single kit.

The Law & Order: SVU star teared up when she discussed the immense backlog of untested rape kits.

It's no news that "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay fights for survivors of sexual assault in real life. The Joyful Heart Foundation, which she founded to help put an end to sexual and domestic violence, has recently helped the city of Detroit obtain funds to process a backlog of nearly 11,000 untested rape kits.

Actress Mariska Hargitay joined Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy Monday to discuss proposed legislation that would speed up sexual assault kit testing.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy speaks at a press conference at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice about the 11,000 untested rape kits in the county waiting testing and investigation, Monday, March 10, 2014. Worthy was joined by actress and Joyful Heart Foundation founder Mariska Hargitay to talk about Detroit's progress in testing and getting justice for survivors of sexual assault.

ENDTHEBACKLOG is a part of the Joyful Heart Foundation’s initiative to end the injustice of untested rape kits, and its efforts have not gone unnoticed.

States across the country are proposing and enacting legislation to tackle the estimated 400,000 untested rape kits nationwide.