For Immediate Release: May 27,2021
Contact: Olivia Hall, media@endthebacklog.org
NEW YORK — Today, the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national organization working to end the backlog of untested rape kits nationwide, celebrates the sigining of HB1143 by Governor Polis in Colorado. We also emphatically thank Senator Danielson, and Representatives Froelich and Soper, for their commitment to addressing this gap in victims’ rights.
HB1143 will strengthen victims’ rights including granting survivors the right to be notified that evidence has been submitted for testing; to be informed of whether a DNA sample was obtained from the analysis and whether or not there are matches to DNA profiles in state or federal databases; to be informed at least 60 days prior to the destruction of forensic medical evidence; and to be informed of any change in status of the case, including if the case has been closed or reopened.
Every 73 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted in the United States. In the immediate aftermath of a sexual assault, a victim may choose to undergo a medical forensic examination to collect evidence left behind during the assault. A doctor or nurse will conduct the four-to-six hour examination and will preserve this evidence in what is commonly called a “rape kit.” Tragically, most survivors leave the medical facility and never hear again about their rape kit.
Behind every rape kit is a person — a sexual assault survivor — waiting for justice. We stand with every survivor who has taken the step of enduring an invasive examination in search of DNA evidence left behind by the attacker on their body, which has become a crime scene. Giving survivors access to information about their kits can help counter the loss of self-determination and control that is often at the core of a sexual assault experience.
“Sexual assault survivors want and deserve information about the status of their cases, and HB1143 grants that access to every survivor in Colorado,” says Ilse Knecht, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Joyful Heart Foundation. “In 2016, Joyful Heart released Navigating Notification, a study on victim notification that found access to information about the status of their cases can promote healing for survivors of sexual assault, and that the lack of knowledge can be harmful to their wellbeing.”
Through legislation at the state level, Joyful Heart Foundation has implemented a national campaign focused on six essential pillars. Establishing a statewide victim’s rights is one of those six pillars and passage of this law brings Colorado one step closer to achieving all six. The final pillar that Colorado has yet to achieve is implementation of a rape kit tracking system, which legislators are discussing picking up in future legislative sessions.
If you would like an interview or additional comment by Ilse Knecht, please feel free to contact me to set up an interview. Additionally, you can learn more about our legislative efforts in Colorado at http://www.endthebacklog.org/colorado.