The Mystery of the Vanishing Rape Kits

Do you know someone, or have you ever been a victim of rape or other sexual assault? Government studies have been submitted (see here) statistics approximating rapes and sexual assaults, which is a huge task considering the under-reporting.

What if you were that victim that had the courage to come forward, which is one of the hardest obstacles. The victim must countlessly rehash every minute, every disgusting and humiliating detail. It is as if the victim is the one being interrogated. If you are lucky you may fly under the radar and avoid facing your worst nightmare of being prematurely impeached and judged by the public and media.



WHAT COULD BE ANY WORSE?




Now imagine this...you are one of those women who actually comes forward. You do everything you are supposed to do. You know to go to the hospital immediately, don't change your clothes, don't shower. You make sure you follow all the protocols that you know are vital in prosecution and you want to see that bastard in prison.

Imagine going through humiliation of a "rape kit" test. After being assaulted, your legs are propped up in stirrups with an excruciating bright light directed at your genitals. After being assaulted, you must endure a painful vaginal exam. But you know this must be done because this is your only evidence of the crime. Without that, it's your word against his.

Imagine a week later that same hospital threw away your evidence...even in violations of their own policies. In Colorado a urine specimen was "lost" by a male physician that contained evidence of GHB. Essentially the integrity of the case was "lost".

In an article by http://www.denverpost.com/ it stated that the rape evidence destruction is the most common "lost" evidence.

In the past decade 5,515 rape evidence kits were destroyed or "lost" by authorities nationwide. Amazingly, the "full scope" of the lost evidence may never be known because "most state governments don't require that police, hospitals and other public agencies report the evidence they toss."

"Some hospitals in New York and Pennsylvania have disposed of kits as early as weeks to a month after the rape-kit exam is performed..."

Susan Lewis, spokeswoman for the national Sexual Violence Resource Center in Pennsylvania stated If you destroy it, you not only destroy an option to prosecute but a sense of hope and justice."



Continue with personal stories of
women cheated out of justice HERE