CBS Evening News Investigates Rape Kit Backlog

CBS Evening News reported on November 10th about the staggering number of untested rape kits in the nation: So far they've discovered 20,000 untested rape kits, and at least 12 major cities in the US have no idea how many untested rape kits they have in storage.

Some disturbing facts from the report:

The arrest rate of rape last year was only 25%--extremely low in comparison to the arrest rate for murder (79%) and aggravated assault (51%)

In some states, rape kits aren't tested for years--in Louisiana the average was 8 years

71% of rapists are repeat offenders, with an average of 6 rapes per rapist--meaning that while incriminating evidence is available, rapists carry out more crimes.

The entire report is 10 minutes long, and available at at this url: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/11/10/cbs-evening-news-katie-couric-features-rape-kit-researcher.

The good news is that Congress has been working to address the rape kit backlog. Al Franken (D-MN) passed a law in the Senate to address the rape kit backlog (full story available here.)

Photo Credit: ynse on flickr.com

LA County Promises to Eliminate Rape Kit Backlog

Yesterday it was announced by Supervisor Yarovslavksy that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department will commit to fund the testing of every single backlogged rape kit in LA. This will be done within the next two years, with promises to ensure the backlog does not return.

On Monday, Human Rights Watch held a discussion at the FMF West Coast Office. Sarah Tofte spoke about the research HRW has conducted in Los Angeles County, uncovering the 12,000 plus rape kits that just sit untested. More than 450 rape kits have been there so long that the 10 year statue of limitations period to convict has expired.

It begs the question, why doesn't rape matter??

If I was a woman that had just gotten raped, and agreed to undergo a rape kit--an invasive process that can take up to 6 hours--I would want to know that everything was being done to catch the perpetrator . I wouldn't want to wait months, even years, before we knew who the rapist was. I wouldn't want to find out that 3 out of 4 rapists in Los Angeles are never convicted. I wouldn't want to find out that the Sheriff's department may not test my rape kit because they don't believe my boyfriend could have actually raped me.

In acquaintance rape, the police department is sometimes skeptical of the victim's stories. As Sarah Tofte says, "They talk about the [rape] victims’ credibility in a way that they don’t talk about the credibility of victims of other crimes."

It is important to test every rape kit because they not only help identify unknown suspects and confirm known suspects, but also link repeat offenders to different cases as well as exonerate innocent suspects. With one of the worst rape conviction rates in the country, it is incredible news that LA has committed to eliminating their backlog! Onward to the rest of the country!

image courtesy of flickr.com

Rape survivors forced to pay for their own exams

I know this is an uncharacteristic second blog post for me in one day, but this issue needs all the press-time it can get if we are going to make a difference. Did you know that some states make rape survivors pay for their exams? Wait. Let me say that again in case you missed it. Some states make rape survivors pay for their exams. Okay. Got it?

WHAT?! Honestly, society, what are we doing? Evidently there are “loopholes” in the Violence Against Women Act that allow for such an injustice to occur. After telling other individuals in the office about my shock, I found out that some women in the office already knew about this. Then I wondered why I had not known about it. Then I wondered what we can do about it.

The tests can cost the rape survivor up to $1,200. It sickens me to think that anyone profits from rape. In some states, the rape survivor’s health insurance (if she or he has it) is charged only if she or he does not submit a police report. In other states, the loopholes are a bit hazier. What can we do right now? Write to your representatives in Congress and tell them that we need to cut the loopholes from the Violence Against Women Act to make sure that no future rape survivors are charged for the crimes against them.

Please contact campusteam@feminist.org with any questions or comments.
Photo courtesy of www.flickr.com

Pressing Issues Raised at the Global Women's Rights Awards and What You Can Do About Them!

Each year, the Feminist Majority Foundation honors extraordinary people who have overcome great obstacles, adversity, and threats to their own lives and well-being to expose global women's rights injustices and fight for women's rights worldwide. Last Wednesday evening I had the pleasure of attending the 5th Annual Global Women's Rights Awards.

Amidst the sold out ballroom, the almost rowdy live auction hosted by Jay Leno, and the bustling Ms. Obama poster and Afghan craft sales, I couldn't help but be in awe of the fact that I was mingling with truly incredible, beyond inspirational, groundbreaking, unrelenting feminist honorees.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN's Chief International Correspondent, took a stand when no one else would and exposed the horrendous conditions the Taliban was, and continues to inflict upon women and girls in Afghanistan. Afghan women and girls lack access to the most basic human rights: to leave the home, earn money, visit the doctor, and go to school without facing atrocious cruelties such as acid attacks. The situation for Afghan women and girls is not improving but with the help of brave women like Christiane Amanpour and yourself, we can make sure the international eye is watching the plight of Afghan women and girls. Sign online petitions and help raise money to train an Afghan midwife and reduce maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan.

Dr. Neal Baer (Executive Producer) and Mariska Hargitay (as Detective Olivia Benson) have brought hard-hitting women's issues to primetime television through Law & Order: Special Victims' Unit for over eight seasons. Through bringing the all too real issues of hate crimes, sexual assault, domestic violence and the backlog of rape kits in Los Angeles, among many, to mainstream media, Baer and Hargitay have helped raise awareness, raise outrage, and have helped prompt viewers, activists and lawmakers to fight against these all too prevalent occurrences.

Last but not least, the remarkable and inspriring team behind the film, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, was honored. Produced by Abigail Disney and directed by Gini Reticker, Pray the Devil Back to Hell tells the story of Leymah Gbowee and the thousands of other Liberian women who organized peacefully to end a gruesome civil war and elect the first female head of state. The story is one of peaceful activism, grassroots organizing and powerful feminism at its finest. Disney and Reticker, through the production of this film, have helped ensure that the story of how women have shaped a country's history does not go unrecognized or rewritten through a patriarchal lens. Spread the inspirational story of the Liberian women and celebrate women's collective successes by hosting a screening of Pray the Devil Back to Hell on your campus.