Mariska Hargitay’s End The Backlog Campaign Leads to Rape Kit Reform Across the U.S.
Mariska Hargitay’s End the Backlog campaign has reached a significant milestone. As announced on Friday, all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico have implemented at least one component of rape kit reform, showcasing the impact of sustained, survivor-centered advocacy.
Maine, the final state to join this initiative, has committed $267,000 annually to establish a statewide rape kit inventory and tracking system through Governor Janet Mills’ enacted budget (LD2212).
Since its inception in 2010, Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation has been pivotal in advancing the national movement known as the Six Pillars of Rape Kit Reform. This framework establishes a comprehensive, survivor-focused approach that has become the national standard. The Six Pillars include mandatory kit testing, statewide inventories, survivor notification rights, and dedicated funding, among other provisions, aimed at ensuring that no kit, and no survivor’s story, is neglected.
Inspired by her portrayal of Captain Olivia Benson on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hargitay founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004. Its mission focuses on transforming societal responses to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, while supporting survivors in their healing processes and working to end violence. The campaign specifically targets the elimination of the backlog of hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits across the country, striving to provide closure for victims.
In her statement, Hargitay remarked:
Today marks a watershed moment not only for the State of Maine, but for every survivor who has asked if their rape kit was forgotten, if their truth was abandoned on a shelf, if they had hope of finding justice. After 16 years of relentless, survivor-driven advocacy, the End the Backlog campaign has achieved a milestone: with the passage of unprecedented legislation in Maine, all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico now have some form of rape kit reform in place.
This did not happen overnight. 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.
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.
