💥 Q: What is a rape kit? A rape kit (or sexual assault forensic evidence kit) collects DNA and other evidence after a person has been sexually assaul
💥 Q: What is a rape kit?
💥 Q: What is a rape kit?A rape kit (or sexual assault forensic evidence kit) collects DNA and other evidence after a person has been sexually assaulted. This process can take 4 to 6 hours, often while the Survivor is still in shock or pain.
It’s not just a medical procedure—it’s an act of courage, trust, and a request for justice.
📊 Q: How many rape kits remain untested in the U.S.?
Depending on the source, estimates vary:
Confirmed: Between 25,000 and 46,000 kits are currently untested in U.S. police departments and labs (2022–2024).
Estimated Total: As many as 200,000 to 400,000 kits may have gone untested over the years.
In one city alone—Detroit—11,341 untested kits were discovered in 2009.
Some states still do not track or report this data publicly, so the true number may be even higher.
🧪 Q: What does “untested” mean?
There are two main categories:
Unsubmitted kits: Collected but never sent to a lab.
Backlogged kits: Sent to labs but never tested due to delays, lack of funding, or low prioritization.
Both are a failure of justice.
💔 Q: What is the impact on victims?
Leaving rape kits untested sends Survivors a devastating message:
“You don’t matter.”
“Your pain doesn’t move us.”
“We won’t use what you gave us to seek justice.”
This betrayal can deepen trauma, delay healing, and silence other Survivors. Many blame themselves, believing they did something wrong—even after enduring the exam.
Some Survivors never get a call back. Others find out—years later—that their kit sat on a shelf gathering dust while their rapist went on to harm others.
Survivor Truth:
“I showed up. I did what they asked. But my kit was never tested. No one told me. I just stopped hoping.”
— Anonymous Survivor
🧷 Q: Why are these kits not tested?
Reasons vary—but none justify the harm:
Lack of funding for crime labs
Police bias (e.g., not believing the Survivor)
Rape myths (“She knows her attacker, so DNA won’t matter”)
Poor evidence handling protocols
Systemic racism and disregard for Black, Indigenous, poor, and disabled Survivors (you see how identity matters)
🧨 Q: What happens when backlogged kits are finally tested?
Justice. Truth. Protection.
In Detroit:
11,341 kits were tested
817 serial rapists identified
127 convictions (many had committed multiple crimes after their initial rape)
This proves how dangerous it is to ignore evidence—and how powerful it is when Survivors are heard.
📣 Q: What can I do about this?
Contact your local legislators: Demand rape kit testing timelines and Survivor notification laws.
Support Survivor-led organizations that push for reforms.
Share this post to help others understand the crisis.
Ask your police department if they have a rape kit tracking system—and if not, why.
🧿 Survivor Affirmation
💬 “I am not a forgotten file. I am a person. My truth deserves to be seen, heard, and acted upon.”
— Survivor Affirmation | SurvivorAffirmations.com
🔗 Related Links
📌 Final Words:
We will not be silent. We will not be erased. Survivors are not statistics—they are our sisters, our friends, our elders, our children.
If you have been harmed, your truth is sacred. If you are ready to speak, there are those of us ready to listen, fight, and stand with you.
“The crisis of untested rape kits must not be treated as a side issue—where women labor, our issues matter, and justice delayed is justice denied.”
