Mariska Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 to support survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Five years later, she made her nonprofit's End The Backlog initiative a top priority after learning about the staggering number of untested rape kits in the US. Mariska's organization has identified over 225,000 untested rape kits and established legislation in 41 states supporting rape kit reform. She also won an Emmy for her documentary I Am Evidence, which featured women getting their kits tested after being ignored for years.
Law & Order: SVU recently got a three-year renewal, expanding its historic run to 24 seasons.
