What is the rape kit backlog?

A rape kit is the biological and physical evidence, including DNA, that is collected from a rape victim’s body. Rape survivors undergo this invasive process in order to help identify and convict their attackers … but the reality is that many of these rape kits never get tested. Instead, they become part of the rape kit backlog — untested rape kits warehoused in police storage and crime lab facilities, sitting on shelves collecting dust.