Things have come a long way since Duluth had 578 untested rape kits backlogged - the highest number in the state.
Even though some results have still not been returned, there are over 100 CODIS hits on the kits that have been tested.
People like Mary Faulkner of PAVSAand other advocates still have the unenviable job of contacting survivors after all this time ("They have a right to this information," says Faulkner), telling them that their kits have finally been processed, and then letting them know that their attacker has - or has not - been identified.
But perhaps the most difficult - yet essential - part of the process is an authentic apology.
More information on Mariska Hargitay's organization dedicated to reducing the backlog of untested rape kits is here at End the Backlog.
More information about the documentary I Am Evidencecan be found here.
You can read the Star Tribune's nine-part series on failed rape investigations here:Denied Justice. The series was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
The Start by Believing campaign hopes to transform the ways communities respond to sexual assault. More information is available on their website, including guides for what to say and dowhen talking with someone who has been assaulted.
