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What happened when we tested thousands of abandoned rape kits in Detroit

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Kym Worthy |

TED@UPS

• July 2018

In 2009, 11,341 untested rape kits -- some dating back to the 1980s -- were found in an abandoned warehouse once used by the Detroit police to store evidence. When this scandal was uncovered, prosecutor Kym Worthy set a plan into action to get justice for the thousands of victims affected. In this powerful, eye-opening talk, Worthy explains how her office helped develop an innovative program to track and test these kits -- and calls for a national effort to help solve the problem of stockpiled rape kits.

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Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

In 2009, 11,341 untested rape kits -- some dating back to the 1980s -- were found in an abandoned warehouse once used by the Detroit police to store evidence. When this scandal was uncovered, prosecutor Kym Worthy set a plan into action to get justice for the thousands of victims affected. In this powerful, eye-opening talk, Worthy explains how her office helped develop an innovative program to track and test these kits -- and calls for a national effort to help solve the problem of stockpiled rape kits.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Turn your outrage to action. Host a watch party for the documentary I Am Evidence, featuring prosecutor Kym Worthy.

Donate to Enough SAID (Sexual Assault in Detroit) and help more than 11,000 forgotten victims of sexual assault find justice.

About the speaker

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Kym Loren Worthy is the prosecutor of Wayne County, Michigan, home to Detroit.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute

Turn your outrage to action. Host a watch party for the documentary I Am Evidence, featuring prosecutor Kym Worthy.

Donate to Enough SAID (Sexual Assault in Detroit) and help more than 11,000 forgotten victims of sexual assault find justice.

Kym Worthy: What happened when we tested thousands of abandoned rape kits in Detroit | TED Talk