Earlier this month, Joyful Heart’s Policy and Advocacy team attended the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Summit in Boston. Over the course of three days, we connected with lawmakers and staffers from across the country about how to end the backlog of untested rape kits. Advocates and stakeholders know kits are shelved in evidence […]
The Joyful Heart Foundation, which has made eliminating the rape kit backlog its top advocacy priority since 2010, welcomed today’s release by the federal government of national standards for the handling and processing of sexual assault kits. The National Institute of Justice – the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice – has released “National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits: A Multidisciplinary Approach,” which includes 35 recommendations that provide a guide to victim-centered approaches for responding to sexual assault cases and better supporting victims throughout the criminal justice process.
In late May, Joyful Heart staff had the honor of attending the annual Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) meeting in Washington, D.C. Once a year, teams from each grantee jurisdiction of both the SAKI and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office (DANY) grant programs come together to discuss strategies for testing kits, investigating cases, prosecuting offenders, and […]
Last year, Joyful Heart launched a national policy campaign with an ambitious goal: to enact comprehensive rape kit reform in all 50 states. Over the past six months, we have seen an unprecedented number of rape kit reform bills introduced in state legislatures across the country. Joyful Heart measures rape kit reform through six key […]
Joyful Heart Foundation Founder and President Mariska Hargitay testified today on Capitol Hill before the new Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence about the national rape kit backlog. Chaired by U.S. Representatives Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), Patrick Meehan (R-PA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), and David Joyce (R-OH), the Task Force to End Sexual Violence unites […]
Director, Producer, Emmy-award winning Actress and President of the Joyful Heart Foundation, Mariska Hargitay, today testified on Capitol Hill before the new Task Force to End Sexual Violence about the national rape kit backlog. Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation has made eliminating the rape kit backlog its top advocacy priority since 2010, and was the leading advocate in support of the federal government’s creation of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) in 2014.
It’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Organizations and advocates—who work every day to support survivors and raise awareness about sexual violence—are dedicating even more time this month to public education efforts, advocacy campaigns, and events to engage and energize communities to commit to ending this violence forever. Myths about sexual assault are all too common in […]
When we launched The Accountability Project in 2014, we hoped to shed light on the backlog of untested rape kits in cities around the country. Counting backlogged kits—whether through a statewide audit, following media attention, or in response to a public records request from an advocacy organization—is the first step toward rape kit reform. Once […]
On March 15, The New York Times profiled a bill introduced in Texas that would enable individuals to donate to rape kit testing. Texas has a backlog of nearly 20,000 untested rape kits—testing these kits, investigating cases, and prosecuting offenders requires significant resources. As a growing number of states seek to address their backlogs, legislators […]
