QUOTE OF THE DAY: "To me, the backlog is one of the clearest and most shocking demonstrations of how we regard these crimes in our society," Hargitay says in the documentary. "Testing rape kits sends a fundamental and crucial message to victims of sexual violence: You matter. What happened to you matters. Your case matters." Now, I Am Evidence — which (aired) Monday, April 16th at 8 p.m. EST on HBO — takes a look at this massive problem that reduces trauma survivors to boxes of evidence that remain largely untouched. "The fact of the matter is, if we have DNA testing, if we have the ability to fix this problem and we don't test these kits, we're saying that sexual assault is not important," Hargitay continues. "I want survivors to feel heard and know that they matter, and that violence against women matters, and that we walk in hand with you to a better way of life for everyone."
----------------------------------------------------------------
STORY: "Rape kit; Mariska Hargitay's new HBO documentary about untested rape kits would make her Law and Order SVU (Special Victims Unit) alter ego proud," by Jandra Sutton, published by hellogiggles.com on April 14, 2018.
GIST: "April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which means it’s almost time for I am Evidence, an upcoming HBO documentary produced by Law and Order: SVU actress Mariska Hargitay. As a much-needed part of the conversation around sexual assault,
the film looks at the epidemic of untested rape kits in America and
considers how society can better support survivors of sexual
assault. Because — let’s be honest — we need to do more. Currently, an estimated hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits sit in police storage around the country, according to The Huffington Post. (Yes, you read that right. Hundreds of thousands.) It’s bad enough that sexual assault survivors are often forced to pay for their own rape kits, but the fact that so many of them go untested is completely unacceptable. "To me, the backlog is one of the clearest and
most shocking demonstrations of how we regard these crimes in our
society," Hargitay says in the documentary. "Testing rape kits
sends a fundamental and crucial message to victims of sexual violence:
You matter. What happened to you matters. Your case matters." Now, I Am Evidence — which airs Monday, April
16th at 8 p.m. EST on HBO — takes a look at this massive problem that
reduces trauma survivors to boxes of evidence that remain largely
untouched. "The fact of the matter is, if we have DNA
testing, if we have the ability to fix this problem and we don't test
these kits, we're saying that sexual assault is not important," Hargitay
continues. "I want survivors to feel heard and know that they matter,
and that violence against women matters, and that we walk in hand with
you to a better way of life for everyone." We couldn’t agree more with
Olivia Benson, erm, Mariska Hargitay. And we love how she used her
passion for her work to pursue much-needed change in the real world. Testing rape kits is *beyond* crucial. Not only can
it help confirm rapists’ identities, it can also help police track down
serial rapists. Which, let’s be honest, is a critical step in protecting
more people from becoming victims of sexual assault. We’re proud of Mariska Hargitay for shedding light on this nationwide problem that demands our immediate attention."
The entire story can be found at:
https://hellogiggles.com/news/mariska-hargitay-i-am-evidence-documentary/
The HBO Home site for "I am evidence" can be found at the link below: "I Am Evidence exposes the shocking number of untested rape kits in the United States today, estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Despite the power of DNA to solve and prevent crimes, these kits containing potentially crucial evidence languish untested in police evidence storage rooms. Behind each of these kits lies an individual’s unresolved sexual assault case. The film introduces viewers to several of these survivors, who still await justice, as well as the prosecutors, investigators, advocates and journalists fighting on their behalf. Already an underreported crime, rape has one of the lowest arrest rates of all violent crimes in the U.S., hovering near a national average of 20 percent. Even lower are prosecution rates, which are close to 4 percent, and conviction rates, which are close to 2 percent. DNA evidence contained in rape kits can identify a suspect, affirm a survivor’s account, exonerate the innocent, and identify serial offenders. Despite this, kits, and by extension, victims have been shelved for decades, in some cases while the perpetrators of violent sexual crimes remain free. Most jurisdictions do not track rape kits, most states do not require testing, and very few prohibit the destruction of rape evidence. The film explores why the rape kit backlog exists and highlights the law enforcement officials who are leading the charge to work through the backlog and pursue long-awaited justice in these cases. In 2009, over 11,000 untested rape kits were discovered in Detroit. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy fought to have all the kits tested, a process that is now nearly complete. Through her work, over 780 suspected serial rapists have been identified, and there have been 50 convictions based on the DNA results from the previously untested kits. In Ohio, former Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty created a task force that undertook the testing of 5,000 backlogged kits, leading to the identification of more than 410 suspected serial rapists, who have been linked to more than 1,127 victims. Additionally, I Am Evidence follows survivors’ experiences as they trace the fates of their kits and re-engage in the criminal justice process, which shows the disturbing pattern of how the system has historically treated sexual assault victims. Testing every rape kit sends a clear and powerful message to survivors that they matter — and that there is a path to healing and justice."
https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/i-am-evidence-doc
Read Nick Allen's review of "I am evidence" at the link below: “This is not just a kit. This is a person.” That sentiment is rife throughout the powerful, informative documentary “I Am Evidence,” which addresses the horrific backlog of rape kits in different cities. The film, airing tonight on HBO, starts with an abandoned warehouse in Detroit, where the stories of 4,000+ survivors of rape have been abandoned for reasons that directly correlate to the value that a system has for the non-privileged. But that is just one city, and one neglected storage of boxes, that have been treated with the same lack of care, derived from an unquestionable legacy of racism, sexism and classism. “I Am Evidence” paints a shocking, full picture about the thousands of kits around the country that have been forgotten in a backlog or destroyed, and the system that could let such a horrific thing happen. At the same time, the film offers examples of the justice that can come from recognizing these kits, and in the process honors the survivors and their stories. “I Am Evidence” will be undoubtedly eye-opening for any person. In its righteous outrage, “I Am Evidence” pulls no punches, and is unafraid to call out the system (an attitude which often makes for cringing talking-head interviews from white men in positions of power) about the way sexual assault cases are handled. With the case of a black woman in Detroit like Ericka, she talks about giving up on her kit the day the police received it, the systemic injustice about her trauma equal to the thousands of other kits in an abandoned warehouse. Other women who are featured in the doc talk about waiting for years for their traumas to recognized by the police, only to find out that they are connected by the same rapist who very well could have been stopped by a rape kit. A very clear picture is drawn, about the value of these women’s stories to a society normalizes this, or about how the handling of these kits is perpetual of rape culture itself. As the documentary focuses on so much more than the kits, it becomes about listening to and believing survivors, with various horrific ideas of police attitude held brought into light: the common inclination to find a way to blame a survivor for what had happened to them, or the way people think a traumatized person should act to be believed. That these survivors wanted to trust the police by saying something and getting the kit after experiencing such trauma is incredibly powerful, especially when the subsequent handling of their stories is so horrifying and demeaning. Mariska Hargitay produced the documentary, and appears sporadically. Her presence, however, is not that of a TV star inserting themselves into a world, but another example of a storyteller who is compelled to do something. She talks briefly about how she received so many letters from people after she started work bringing fictional justice to sex offenders and others on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” but she cedes her heroic presence to so many other women in this picture, like who share their trauma and put a human being to a kit, or those who are actively trying to change the way these kits are handled. Directors Trish Adlesic & Geeta Gandbhir take a primarily informational approach to their documentary storytelling, causing the project to lose some aesthetic momentum with its space-filling B-roll or standard talking-head format. But the doc is truly informative. Best of all, it has an urgency throughout, especially as it expands to these different lives and cities, vividly showing this to be an American issue. With such expansiveness, “I Am Evidence” is able to accentuate its power with access to moments that viewers might not otherwise see. It’s particularly invigorating to see these women share their own experiences, and to see investigators make an arrest. But these are rare resolutions, if they can even be called that, and the survivors' stories are tiny victories, uncharacteristic of the larger, infuriating injustice that has inspired this very project. “I Am Evidence” functions as a microcosm for society at large (“Nobody gives a damn about women in this country” is said once, but echoes throughout), particularly when handling stories of sexual assault survivors. But as an emotional journey and piece of activism, “I Am Evidence” offers images of resilience, especially when compassion is met with action."
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-am-evidence-2018
Read about the role that Mariska Hargitay played in founding 'The Joyful Heart Foundation' - at the link below: "While doing her research for the role of Olivia Benson on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska Hargitay encountered staggering statistics about sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. She wanted to know why everyone wasn’t talking about these issues and why they weren’t dominating the headlines and the evening news. She received letters and emails from survivors disclosing their stories of abuse, many for the first time. She wanted to answer—really answer—those letters, to address the suffering they described, and honor acts of courage they represented. Her answer was Joyful Heart."
http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/about-us/history
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/c
The entire story can be found at:
https://hellogiggles.com/news/mariska-hargitay-i-am-evidence-documentary/
The HBO Home site for "I am evidence" can be found at the link below: "I Am Evidence exposes the shocking number of untested rape kits in the United States today, estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Despite the power of DNA to solve and prevent crimes, these kits containing potentially crucial evidence languish untested in police evidence storage rooms. Behind each of these kits lies an individual’s unresolved sexual assault case. The film introduces viewers to several of these survivors, who still await justice, as well as the prosecutors, investigators, advocates and journalists fighting on their behalf. Already an underreported crime, rape has one of the lowest arrest rates of all violent crimes in the U.S., hovering near a national average of 20 percent. Even lower are prosecution rates, which are close to 4 percent, and conviction rates, which are close to 2 percent. DNA evidence contained in rape kits can identify a suspect, affirm a survivor’s account, exonerate the innocent, and identify serial offenders. Despite this, kits, and by extension, victims have been shelved for decades, in some cases while the perpetrators of violent sexual crimes remain free. Most jurisdictions do not track rape kits, most states do not require testing, and very few prohibit the destruction of rape evidence. The film explores why the rape kit backlog exists and highlights the law enforcement officials who are leading the charge to work through the backlog and pursue long-awaited justice in these cases. In 2009, over 11,000 untested rape kits were discovered in Detroit. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy fought to have all the kits tested, a process that is now nearly complete. Through her work, over 780 suspected serial rapists have been identified, and there have been 50 convictions based on the DNA results from the previously untested kits. In Ohio, former Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty created a task force that undertook the testing of 5,000 backlogged kits, leading to the identification of more than 410 suspected serial rapists, who have been linked to more than 1,127 victims. Additionally, I Am Evidence follows survivors’ experiences as they trace the fates of their kits and re-engage in the criminal justice process, which shows the disturbing pattern of how the system has historically treated sexual assault victims. Testing every rape kit sends a clear and powerful message to survivors that they matter — and that there is a path to healing and justice."
https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/i-am-evidence-doc
Read Nick Allen's review of "I am evidence" at the link below: “This is not just a kit. This is a person.” That sentiment is rife throughout the powerful, informative documentary “I Am Evidence,” which addresses the horrific backlog of rape kits in different cities. The film, airing tonight on HBO, starts with an abandoned warehouse in Detroit, where the stories of 4,000+ survivors of rape have been abandoned for reasons that directly correlate to the value that a system has for the non-privileged. But that is just one city, and one neglected storage of boxes, that have been treated with the same lack of care, derived from an unquestionable legacy of racism, sexism and classism. “I Am Evidence” paints a shocking, full picture about the thousands of kits around the country that have been forgotten in a backlog or destroyed, and the system that could let such a horrific thing happen. At the same time, the film offers examples of the justice that can come from recognizing these kits, and in the process honors the survivors and their stories. “I Am Evidence” will be undoubtedly eye-opening for any person. In its righteous outrage, “I Am Evidence” pulls no punches, and is unafraid to call out the system (an attitude which often makes for cringing talking-head interviews from white men in positions of power) about the way sexual assault cases are handled. With the case of a black woman in Detroit like Ericka, she talks about giving up on her kit the day the police received it, the systemic injustice about her trauma equal to the thousands of other kits in an abandoned warehouse. Other women who are featured in the doc talk about waiting for years for their traumas to recognized by the police, only to find out that they are connected by the same rapist who very well could have been stopped by a rape kit. A very clear picture is drawn, about the value of these women’s stories to a society normalizes this, or about how the handling of these kits is perpetual of rape culture itself. As the documentary focuses on so much more than the kits, it becomes about listening to and believing survivors, with various horrific ideas of police attitude held brought into light: the common inclination to find a way to blame a survivor for what had happened to them, or the way people think a traumatized person should act to be believed. That these survivors wanted to trust the police by saying something and getting the kit after experiencing such trauma is incredibly powerful, especially when the subsequent handling of their stories is so horrifying and demeaning. Mariska Hargitay produced the documentary, and appears sporadically. Her presence, however, is not that of a TV star inserting themselves into a world, but another example of a storyteller who is compelled to do something. She talks briefly about how she received so many letters from people after she started work bringing fictional justice to sex offenders and others on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” but she cedes her heroic presence to so many other women in this picture, like who share their trauma and put a human being to a kit, or those who are actively trying to change the way these kits are handled. Directors Trish Adlesic & Geeta Gandbhir take a primarily informational approach to their documentary storytelling, causing the project to lose some aesthetic momentum with its space-filling B-roll or standard talking-head format. But the doc is truly informative. Best of all, it has an urgency throughout, especially as it expands to these different lives and cities, vividly showing this to be an American issue. With such expansiveness, “I Am Evidence” is able to accentuate its power with access to moments that viewers might not otherwise see. It’s particularly invigorating to see these women share their own experiences, and to see investigators make an arrest. But these are rare resolutions, if they can even be called that, and the survivors' stories are tiny victories, uncharacteristic of the larger, infuriating injustice that has inspired this very project. “I Am Evidence” functions as a microcosm for society at large (“Nobody gives a damn about women in this country” is said once, but echoes throughout), particularly when handling stories of sexual assault survivors. But as an emotional journey and piece of activism, “I Am Evidence” offers images of resilience, especially when compassion is met with action."
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-am-evidence-2018
Read about the role that Mariska Hargitay played in founding 'The Joyful Heart Foundation' - at the link below: "While doing her research for the role of Olivia Benson on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska Hargitay encountered staggering statistics about sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. She wanted to know why everyone wasn’t talking about these issues and why they weren’t dominating the headlines and the evening news. She received letters and emails from survivors disclosing their stories of abuse, many for the first time. She wanted to answer—really answer—those letters, to address the suffering they described, and honor acts of courage they represented. Her answer was Joyful Heart."
http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/about-us/history
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/c
