What Happens to Sexual Assault Kits?
TW: rape, sexual assault
The Women’s Fund launched No Matter What for many reasons:
We heard the need for an informative resource from our partners providing services to survivors.
We knew from our 2020 report that one-third of women in our community have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.
Indiana’s status as an abstinence-only education state means that many students are missing the opportunity to learn about what consent means, what qualifies as assault, and what the red flags are for someone who may be abusive.
But one of the guiding forces of creating No Matter What was the knowledge that there is only one place in our county to secure a sexual assault kits: the Sexual Assault Treatment Center. We want to make sure that survivors know exactly where to go when they want to have forensic evidence collected.
We’re proud of the community support that No Matter What has received, and new locations are signing up for QR code stickers every week. Leadership Fort Wayne has a group of participants currently working on expanding sticker locations and brainstorming other innovative ways to increase awareness. So that we’re working on connecting more survivors to sexual assault kits, we have to ask the question:
What happens to those sexual assault kits?
According to data from the Indiana State Police, there were 4,787 reported cases of rape in Indiana in 2019, and an estimated 12.8% of Hoosier women have experienced rape in their lifetime. This is higher than the national average of 10.5%. A report by the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault (ICESA) revealed that as of 2021, there were over 5,500 untested sexual assault kits in Indiana’s law enforcement agencies. Indiana has the second-highest untested sexual assault kit backlog in the nation: trailing only behind California.
These numbers highlight the pressing need for Indiana to prioritize the testing of all sexual assault kits in its inventory. Delayed testing of sexual assault kits can result in missed opportunities for identifying perpetrators, linking cases, and providing justice to survivors.
Additionally, the impact of sexual violence on survivors’ mental health and well-being cannot be overstated. According to a study conducted by the Indiana University School of Public Health, survivors of sexual violence in Indiana face significant mental health challenges, with 62% of survivors experiencing symptoms of depression and 54% experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
There is an urgent need for Indiana to test all sexual assault kits in its inventory. Testing all sexual assault kits can not only provide critical evidence for investigations and prosecutions but also offer validation and closure to survivors who have already experienced immense trauma. Our neighboring states have all enacted laws to mandate the testing of all sexual assault kits: Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan all have zero untested sexual assault kits in their inventory. Indiana has taken some steps:
In 2019, Indiana’s sexual assault kit tracking system went live.
The City of Indianapolis was awarded $1.4 million to inventory and test its backlog.
In 2019, Indiana enacted Senate Bill 424, requiring law enforcement and prosecutors to provide sexual assault kit updates in the tracking system. The law allows survivors to register for electronic updates, including notice of sexual assault kit destruction, via the state’s kit-tracking system. Legislators considered additional reform bills but they failed to pass.
These actions are a start at solving the backlog issue, but our state needs to do more:
Commit to testing all backlogged kits.
Mandate the testing of all new kits.
Allocate state funding toward reform.
The Women’s Fund is committed to upstream solutions for the most pressing issues facing women and girls in our community. Through the expansion of No Matter What, conducting local research on sexual violence, and advocating for better policies at the state and local level, we’re in this work for the long haul to make sure every survivor sees justice and healing.
Here’s what you can do today:
Ask your employer to consider being a sponsor for the No Matter What resource page
Watch “I Am Evidence,” a documentary by the Joyful Heart Foundation to learn more about sexual violence and the sexual assault kit backlog
Learn more about the national movement to End the Backlog