After 16 years, the End the Backlog campaign has successfully driven rape kit reform legislation in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. For Mariska Hargitay, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actress turned longtime activist, it’s a milestone she’s worked toward since 2010.
Maine is the 50th and final state to commit to the reform. Governor Janet Mills’ enacted budget (LD2212) commits $267,000 in annual funding to establish a statewide rape kit inventory and tracking system.
Joyful Heart Foundation
Hargitay, best known for playing Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004. This followed her work on the NBC series. That work deepened her awareness of the trauma survivors often carry. When she learned in 2009 about the number of untested rape kits in America, she prioritized the foundation’s End the Backlog initiative.
Hargitay later joined forces with Michigan prosecutor and activist Kym Worthy to take on the cause. Together they documented the process of four women in Cleveland, Detroit, and Los Angeles having their kits tested. This was featured in the Emmy-winning 2018 HBO documentary I Am Evidence.
End the Backlog initiative
Since 2010, the Joyful Heart Foundation’s End the Backlog initiative has been the driving force behind this national movement. It built the Six Pillars of Rape Kit Reform from early lessons in cities like Detroit. The framework is built on nearly 75 expert interviews and a 50-state policy analysis. It spans mandatory kit testing and statewide inventories to survivor notification rights and dedicated funding.
The campaign outlines six key pillars for reform. These include mandatory submission and testing of all backlogged kits and testing of all new kits. They also include the establishment of statewide rape kit tracking systems and comprehensive statewide inventories. Further pillars are survivor access to the status of their kits and dedicated funding. This funding supports the submission, testing, and tracking processes.
In a statement, Hargitay credited survivors and legislators equally for reaching this point. “This did not happen overnight,” she said.
“It happened because survivors spoke their truth. It happened because advocates refused to let urgency become complacency. It happened because Rep. Geiger, Sen. Bennett, and Sen. Duson, along with many other inspired legislators, championed a cause that demanded their persistence and years of dedicated work. And it happened because our community insisted that every survivor deserves accountability, transparency, and dignity in the handling of their kit.”
While the number of untested rape kits has decreased over the last decade, the Joyful Heart Foundation estimates a figure. They believe there are still roughly 100,000 untested rape kits yet to be discovered. Hargitay made clear the fight continues.
“This moment is a promise that the system can and will be transformed into a source of light, not darkness. To the survivors who have carried this cause in their hearts: this milestone belongs to you. We are far from done, but how glorious to take this moment to honor how far we have come together.”
Hargitay plays the iconic Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the longest-running primetime drama character in television history. Currently in season 27, she also serves as the series’s executive producer and director.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit will be returning for season 28 in the fall.
