End the Rape Kit Backlog

Image courtesy of Public Health Image Library, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is unmodified and licensed under CC0 1.0.

Two women waited more than 10 years for justice after they were raped in a Minneapolis park by the same man. The reason for the delay: their rape kits sat untested for years.

The rapist is now behind bars, the first person to be convicted through the city’s new initiative to process rape kits faster. But out of 1,000 sexual assaults, 975 perpetrators walk free, in part because the rape kits don’t get processed. The backlog of rape kits must end everywhere.

Actions

1. Email your state lawmakers today

Time: 10 minutes

Ask your state lawmakers to introduce legislation to address the backlog of rape kits.

1. Look up if your state has passed comprehensive rape kit reform.
2. Find your state senator and representative online here.
3. Use or modify our email template to send to your state lawmakers.

2. Contact your city council members

Time: 10 minutes

Ask your city to eliminate local backlogs.

1. Find the contact information for your city council members on your city’s website.
2. Use or modify our email template to send to your city council members.

3. Encourage others to fund testing

Time: 20+ minutes

Several states erased their backlogs because of additional funding from foundations and private donors. Reach out to people who can support this vital effort for justice.

1. If you have personal or professional connections to foundations or private donor funds, propose they fund backlogged rape test kits.

Learn more

• What Is The Backlog?, End the Backlog — Explainer on why rape kit testing is backlogged.

Updated September 2023.