NEW YORK (AP) — Portraying a heroic sex crimes detective on television has provided Mariska Hargitay with a platform to help sexual assault victims in real life.
The star of “Law and Order: SVU” has turned her clout as an advocate for victims into the upcoming HBO documentary, “I Am Evidence,” where she also serves as producer.
The film focuses on four survivors whose rape kits went untested for years. Part of the problem for that is that many states have no legislation that demands testing within a reasonable period. As a result, hundreds of thousands of kits are backlogged, with many never tested.
Hargitay admits backing the documentary was driven by her “own outrage” of the way victims of sexual assault are treated by the system.
