SVU star advocates for sex assault victims

Portraying a heroic sex crimes detective on television has provided Mariska Hargitay with a platform to help sexual assault victims in real life.

Hargitay, who stars as Detective Olivia Benson in the police procedural 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.

“I feel like I was given a gift with this role. I was given a platform. It was a way for me to respond. I’ve had the privilege of having had so many survivors share their stories with me, and I feel a responsibility to that,” Hargitay said.

She admits backing the documentary was driven by her “own outrage” of the way victims of sexual assault are treated by the system. “People say, ‘why did you make this movie?’ I said because I was really mad,” Hargitay said.

The film, which premieres Monday on HBO, focuses on four survivors whose rape kits went untested for years. 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.

“I just couldn’t comprehend that in this country this was going on. That they were stockpiling rape kits,” Hargitay said.

The documentary also examines the victim blaming that some rape survivors encounter from law enforcement officers.

Hargitay started the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 as a means to help victims of sexual assault heal from their emotional trauma.

She said sexual assault survivors have reached out to her through letters and emails. Over time, she realized that Benson serves as a role model for their unheard voices, and want to make sure they are heard.