Mariska Hargitay‘s End the Backlog campaign has achieved a milestone. All 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico have enacted at least one pillar of rape kit reform “in a testament to the power of sustained, survivor-centered advocacy,” the initiative announced Friday.
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.
Since 2010, Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation’s End the Backlog initiative has been the driving force behind the national movement, the Six Pillars of Rape Kit Reform, described as a comprehensive, survivor-focused framework that became the national standard. The Six Pillars encompass everything from mandatory kit testing and statewide inventories to survivor notification rights and dedicated funding, “ensuring no kit, and no survivor’s story, is left behind,” according to the organization.
Hargitay’s role as the iconic Captain Olivia Benson on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit inspired her to establish the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004. Its mission is to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and put an end to the violence. The campaign aims to eliminate the backlog of hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits sitting in storage across America, providing closure for victims.
Statement from Hargitay:
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.