COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new online tracking tool has been introduced in South Carolina, enabling sexual assault survivors to monitor the status of their rape kits.
Governor Henry McMaster ordered the creation of the system in 2020, but the pilot program didn't launch until December of last year.
Since then, 77 kits have entered the system. 11 kits have gone through forensic analysis and 26 kits are awaiting analysis.
Advocates, including Sara Barber from the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, view this initiative as a positive step forward.
"It makes me hopeful that we as a state are going to increase our response to survivors," Barber said. "Only 45% of survivors are estimated to report to law enforcement. Anything we can do to let people know that if they come forward, justice will be pursued for them is a positive impact."
The Sexual Assault Kits Tracking, or Track-Kit, system allows survivors to follow the journey of their evidence, from collection at the hospital to handover to law enforcement.
They can track when an analyst has been assigned to their case, when the evidence has been tested, and even when their kit is on its way back to the investigating agency.
Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster emphasized the importance of the system in streamlining evidence preparation for court cases.
"The biggest problem we've had is preparing the evidence for the court case and making sure all that is in the proper order so the prosecutors can have that to move forward," Foster explained. "So it's very complicated and it's easier now that we have this, and I think it does also help you prioritize."
However, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) currently cannot provide detailed data by jurisdiction due to the program's regional implementation. SLED intends to include additional statistics in future reports.
According to a SLED report, 28,324 intimate partner assaults occurred in South Carolina in 2022.