Wednesday, August 29, 2012

a real-life hero

Kym Worthy, a powerhouse prosecutor in Detroit, has been fighting to get money to test dusty (literally) rape kits that have been languishing in storage in Detroit due to a lack of funds. No one will ever be able to explain to my WHY this is something can happen in the United States. (Apparently Detroit has more than 11,000 rape kits waiting to be tested, and Houston has a backlog of about 16,000, but this is something that happens all across the country.)

The kits tested so far have already led to a huge number of DNA matches. Many of the offenders went on to perpetrate other rapes, and in one case, murders. This should never ever ever have happened. Is this the type of society we want to live in?

Kym Worthy is a real-life hero. I wish the money that people spend to support politicians who think that not all rape is 'legitimate rape' would go to causes like this instead. All rape is legitimate rape, and all survivors deserve the chance to have their case solved and their attacker put behind bars.

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Sign the petition or write letters to your elected representatives supporting the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry (SAFER) Act, which would lead to faster processing of rape kits and create an online registry of the backlogged cases.

Find out more through RAINN, a powerful charity offering services for survivors and influencing policy.

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