NBCUNIVERSAL EVENTS — NBCUniversal FYC Emmy Luncheon — Portrait Studio — Pictured: Mariska Hargitay — (Photo by: Sami Drasin/NBCUniversal)

Sami Drasin/NBCUniversal

On May 1st, after 16 years, the Joyful Heart’s End the Backlog Campaign has achieved what once felt impossible: all 50 states, with Maine becoming the 50th and final state, 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, led by actress Mariska Hargitay. Hargitay plays the iconic Captain Olivia Benson on the NBC series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the longest-running primetime drama character in television history. Currently in season 27, she also serves as the series's executive producer and director.

Her role on the prolific series awakened her to burdens that survivors of trauma often carry: the weight of shame, judgment, and isolation. Inspired by their courage, she founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004, whose mission is to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and end this violence forever. At the heart of their advocacy work is the “End the Backlog” campaign, which aims to eliminate the backlog of hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits sitting in storage across America, so that survivors can get the closure they deserve.

Since 2010, the Joyful Heart Foundation’s End the Backlog initiative has been the driving force behind this national movement, transforming early lessons from cities like Detroit into the Six Pillars of Rape Kit Reform: a comprehensive, survivor-focused framework that became the national standard. Built on nearly 75 expert interviews and a 50-state policy analysis, 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.

"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 have 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," said Hargitay.

She continued, “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.”

Hargitay concluded, "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.”

Learn more about the Joyful Heart Foundation intiative here.