END THE BACKLOG is an initiative of the JOYFUL HEART FOUNDATION
Other Efforts
Training and Technical Assistance
Provide model legislation, bill draft review and editing, FAQs, talking points, statistics, and other information to support effective legislative efforts.
Share examples and lessons learned from other states that have passed effective six-pillar laws.
Disseminate current research on rape kit testing, backlogs, and other related issues.
Share up-to-date information and data on rape kit tracking systems, including vendors and costs.
Conduct training on survivor notification based on our research, including how to re-engage survivors whose kits went untested for years or even decades.
Make peer-to-peer connections to facilitate sharing of data, best practices, ways to overcome challenges to reform, and success stories between stakeholders.
Education and Awareness
Engage with the media to raise awareness around the backlog and create momentum for reform efforts.
Use our social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to share information and create a community supporting survivors and survivors’ rights.
Promote grassroots advocacy efforts to inform the public and inspire them to take action to end the backlog.
Engage as a social action partner for our founder Mariska Hargitay’s Emmy award-winning documentary, I Am Evidence. The film explores the rape kit backlog, its impact on survivors, and the disturbing pattern of how the criminal justice system has historically treated sexual assault survivors.
