Answering a Call for Change
In 1972, Martha “Marty” Goddard volunteered at a crisis hotline for teens in Chicago and encountered alarming patterns. Sexual assault survivors lacked a way to prove their cases, often left without justice due to inadequate evidence collection methods.
Building the Kit
Goddard interviewed survivors, law enforcement, and medical staff to develop a forensic kit that could collect evidence systematically. She eventually introduced a standardized rape kit, initially funded by the Playboy Foundation, to Chicago hospitals in 1978.
Recognition and Expansion
Although a Chicago police sergeant, Louis Vitullo, initially received much of the credit, Goddard’s work led to nearly 3,000 kits distributed nationwide by 1979. Today, evidence kits based on her design are in widespread use.
In 1972, Martha “Marty” Goddard volunteered at a crisis hotline for teens in Chicago and encountered alarming patterns. Sexual assault survivors lacked a way to prove their cases, often left without justice due to inadequate evidence collection methods. pic.twitter.com/R5LQfHXsPA
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