Media Archive by Format: online

Publication	Title
	Rutgers says 'no more' to sexual violence, domestic abuse November 3, 2015 • The Daily Targum Natasha Tripathi Two weeks ago on Oct. 1, Jake Comito gathered about 60 blue 3-by-2-foot poster boards with “NO MORE” printed at the top to Quad Circle on Livingston campus, where students were walking through and asked what the boards were all about. The Rutgers Business School junior and resident assistant would then explain that he and a few close friends have taken the initiative to align with the Joyful Heart Foundation’s campaign against sexual violence and domestic abuse, "NO MORE." read more
	12 celebrities who use their fame for good October 30, 2015 • TriplePundit Mary Mazzoni Most of us know Mariska Hargitay for her role as Detective Olivia Benson on the long-running television hit, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” But what went on behind the scenes may come as a surprise. ... read more
	Thompson: A rape survivor opens up October 29, 2016 • The Detroit News Bankole Thompson Detroiter Ardelia Ali was only 18 when she encountered the worst kind of sexual violence and trauma any woman could undergo. After the end of a day’s shift at Burger King, she was walking to catch a bus near Hoyt and Seven Mile on the evening of Nov. 18, 1995, when she felt a knife on her back. Forced to a nearby vacant land, she was raped. ... read more
	9 celebrities who’ve been touched by domestic violence October 26, 2015 • Everyday Health Sara Altshul Though she hasn’t personally experienced domestic violence, in her iconic role as Detective Olivia Benson on the long-running TV drama, Law & Order: SVU, Mariska Hargitay has lived, breathed — and solved — unspeakable crimes against women and children for the past 16 years. Her role has clearly gotten under her skin. In 2004, she founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national organization that has served more than 14,000 survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence and the professionals who help them. ... read more
	New York Giants: What you're missing in Cowboys game October 25, 2015 • Fansided Nafisa H Oh, it’s on! The New York Giants take on the Dallas Cowboys today in what will surely be an interesting showdown. With first place in the NFC East division on the line, the Giants are looking to even their 2015 series against their biggest rivals and bounce back from a dismal performance in Philadelphia Monday night. read more
	In a man's game, Mark Herzlich is standing up for women October 24, 2015 • The New York Times Bill Pennington EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich grew up in locker rooms, from peewee football to the N.F.L. “It’s a very unusual work environment — a small space and 100 percent male,” Herzlich said. Locker to locker, the setting is marinated in machismo, with a lineup of employees celebrated for their toughness. “We play a rough game on TV,” Herzlich said. “People see us and say: ‘Man, look at that dude. That’s a guy right there.’ ” ... read more
	NFL players commemorate National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in upcoming "SVU" marathon 10/23/2015 • The Futon Critic The new interstitial campaign features Mariska Hargitay and NFL stars encouraging everyone to "get off the sidelines" to help stop domestic violence and sexual assault. read more
	Mariska Hargitay is front and center as 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' kicks off its 17th season September 14, 2015 • Daily News Jaqueline Cutler Mariska Hargitay returns as Sgt. Olivia Benson in the 17th season of “Law & Order: SVU.” read more
	More than 40 police agencies to get $79M to test rape kits September 11, 2015 • USA Today Steve Reilly and Charisse Jones A USA TODAY/TEGNA joint investigation finds thousands of untested rape kits sitting in police department evidence rooms across the country. Rape victims, politicians and police are speaking out, hoping to change that. read more
	White House, NYC prosecutor pledge $79 million to test rape kits September 10, 2015 • Al Jazeera Funding will go toward DNA testing on an estimated 70,000 rape kits, which are often backlogged because of expense. read more
	New national funding will clear Utah’s backlog of untested rape kits September 10, 2015 • The Salt Lake Tribune The Associated Press White House, NYC prosecutor pledge $79M to test the kits nationwide. read more
	State Attorney's Office receives $2 million federal grant to clear rape test-kit backlog September 10, 2015 • jacksonville.com Derek Gilliam State Attorney Angela Corey announced Thursday afternoon that her office has received nearly $2 million in a federal grant to eliminate the about 1,300 sexual-assault test kits sitting on evidence shelves at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. read more
	Nearly $80 Million Will Be Used to Finally Test Thousands of Rape Kits September 10, 2015 • Jezebel Anna Merlin Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Loretta Lynch were in New York Thursday to announce that the White House has awarded $41 million in new rape kit testing grants to police departments across the country, added to the $38 million in grant money that Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance already contributed. That $79 million will be used to test 70,000 backlogged rape kits across the country. Finally. ... read more
	Millions Earmarked to Clear 'Disturbing' Rape Kit Backlog September 10, 2015 • NBC News Kate Snow, Rich McHugh and Tracy Connor New effort underway to clear rape kit backlog. read more
	Rape, suspended in time September 7, 2015 • Las Vegas Sun Megan Messerly Hoping to bring closure to victims, Las Vegas fighting to analyze thousands of backlogged rape kits that have been in storage for decades. read more
	‘Law and Order: SVU’ News 2015: USA Network’s Next Marathon Of The Addictive Cop Show Will Benefit A Good Cause August 26, 2015 • Enstars Dave Odegard The police procedural’s next binge-offering on cable will be a call to end domestic violence and sexual assault. read more
	Why Haven't 70,000 Rape Kits Been Tested for DNA? July 20, 2015 • NBC News Kate Snow and Rich McHugh Hundreds of thousands of rape kits that could identify serial sexual attackers are sitting untested by police departments across the country — despite promises and federal funds to clear the backlog, a new agency-by-agency count suggests. Documents obtained exclusively by USA TODAY Media Network, an NBC News partner, uncovered more than 70,000 neglected forensic evidence kits amassed by more than 1,000 police agencies. That's just a fraction of the nation's 18,000 police departments, so the total number of untested kits is likely far higher. ... read more
	Zambuto & Prichard: Resources Needed to Test Rape Kits July 10, 2015 • The Ledger.com MAILE M. ZAMBUTO AND THERESA L. PRICHARD Recently, the Joyful Heart Foundation announced that Jacksonville has 1,943 untested rape kits in law enforcement evidence storage facilities. Sadly, Jacksonville is not alone. Despite the fact that DNA evidence can be an incredibly powerful tool to solve and prevent crimes, the federal government estimates that across the country there are hundreds of thousands of rape kits that have never been sent to a crime lab for testing. read more
	The risk we take with Charlotte’s rape kit backlog June 29, 2015 • The Charlotte Observer Maile M. Zambuto From Maile M. Zambuto, Chief Executive Officer of the Joyful Heart Foundation, and Monika Johnson Hostler, Executive Director of the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the President of the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, read more
	Investigative Report: How Victim-Blaming Led to the Rape Kit Backlog June 22, 2015 • RH Reality Check Sofia Resnick “I honestly understand why a lot of people don’t report rape,” Kiyona Phillips told RH Reality Check in an interview. “Because if you’re not half-dead or beat in the face or it’s not recorded in any kind of way, you really have to prove that this happened to you.” -Kiyona Phillips read more
	HomeFree Content States on Skates roller skaters return to Salida, raise $26,000 May 26, 2015 • The Mountain Mail Ryan Summerlin Three Ark Valley High Rollers are back in their street shoes after 78 days of skating from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast. Their roller derby teammates, friends and some people who were just plain curious packed into Café Dawn Monday for their return party to see a slide show of the trio’s last 3½ months. read more
	We’re Letting Untested Rape Kits Languish In Warehouses And It Has Huge Consequences May 21, 2015 • Think Progress TARA CULP-RESSLER Despite more than a billion dollars in public funding dedicated to helping law enforcement officials test the DNA evidence collected in rape kits, there’s still a huge backlog of untested kits collecting dust in storage facilities across the country, according to advocates who testified at a Senate committee hearing this week. Because DNA evidence is collected on a local level, we have no idea exactly how many rape kits are languishing unopened in massive warehouses. Advocacy groups in the field believe that the total number is in the hundreds of thousands. ... read more
	Joyful Heart Reveals Rape Kit Backlog Data, but More Remains Unknown May 20, 2015 • Nonprofit Quarterly SHAFAQ HASAN The Joyful Heart Foundation’s Accountability Project, an initiative that’s part of the #EndTheBacklog program focused on identifying the extent of the national rape kit backlog, has released new information detailing the number of untested kits in several cities nationwide. Through public record requests, the foundation discovered the following totals: Charlotte, North Carolina: 1,019 untested kits Jacksonville, Florida: 1,943 kits Kansas City, Missouri: 1,324 kits Portland, Oregon: 1,931 kits San Diego, California: 2,873 kits ... read more
	Taking Sexual Assault Seriously: The Rape Kit Backlog and Human Rights Sarah Haacke Byrd Statement for the record for Sarah Haacke Byrd, Managing Director for the Joyful Heart Foundation before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. read more
	Advocacy group says Kansas City has 1,324 untested rape kits May 19, 2015 • KSHB Kansas City Lexi Sutter KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A national rape victim advocacy group says Kansas City has 1,324 untested rape kits. The nonprofit Joyful Heart Foundation released information Tuesday about testing backlogs in five cities. It says it hopes the cities will "take aggressive and comprehensive steps toward rape kit reform." “We do feel that the transparency and accountability around releasing the numbers will pave the way for true reform around rape kit testing,” explained Ilse Knecht, the senior advisor for policy and advocacy for the Joyful Heart Foundation. read more