New York Special Unit: Actress Mariska Hargitay helped prosecutors solve more than 11,000 rape cases

Mariska Hargitay, Olivia Benson’s iconic translator in “Special Unit New York”, proves that her commitment to sexual violence goes far beyond the frame of fiction.

Mariska Hargitay, star of the series “New York Special Unit”touched by this situation, he decided to act. As Andrea Canning, a journalist at NBC shares dividend payout date : “They needed money for this endeavor, so who stepped in? None other than SVU star Mariska Hargitay.

This intervention had an impact far beyond Detroit. Andrea Canning explains: “Worthy and Hargitay’s work has had an impact across the country, causing changes in police departments and prosecutors’ offices.”

Thanks to this initiative, 22 serial rapists were identified among the reviewed cases!

In January 2024, the actress share his own experience in People magazine: “A man raped me when I was in my thirties. It wasn’t sex at all. It was control and discipline. Too much control.” She describes her traumatic experience: “He grabbed me by the arms and held me down. I was afraid. I was freezing, which was very difficult when there was no choice but to run away. J I left my body.”

This traumatic experience inspired not only her interpretation of Olivia Benson, but also her enthusiasm off camera. In 2004, she founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.