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Going national: Girl’s effort to help rape victims gets attention

After collecting over 700 signatures in just over six months, urging more help for victims of rape, Madison Wertz, 11, of Loyalsock Township, finally will get to see her hard work start to pay off with a news conference in Harrisburg.

The news conference, starting at 11:30 a.m. today at the Capitol in Harrisburg, will be held by state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, who will be taking Wertz's work to the next level.

Together, Wertz and DePasquale will launch a nationwide effort to clear the backlog of untested rape kits.

"We're just so excited," said Michael Wertz, Madison's father. "I'm so proud of her."

He said his daughter and family will get to tour the Capitol building, go out to lunch and participate in the news conference. Madison will give a speech about her efforts.

She started collecting signatures after watching crime shows on television with her father. On one episode, the show talked about rape kits sitting for years without being tested, which allowed criminal rapists go free. That didn't sit right with Madison, so she started taking action.

While the episode may have just been a television show, the issue has been an actual problem in Pennsylvania and the rest of the country.

"As of 2016, Pennsylvania had more than 3,000 rape kits awaiting testing, with about 1,800 awaiting testing for more than a year," according to a news release from the auditor general's office. "Untested kits represent delayed justice and healing for sexual assault victims, and they hinder arrests of serial criminals"

Madison Wertz refused to accept that as reality. She said it wasn't fair that rapists could be out in the community because they could hurt other people.

After collecting over 700 signatures by simply standing outside with her petitions for months, her efforts got the attention of the state. With today's news conference, DePasquale will start a www.change.org petition that will call

for states across the nation to find the funding to test all untested rape kits.

Wertz's efforts will be seen at a national level as each state will find its own way to raise funding with the common goal of getting those untested kits tested.

"Though I am unable to attend the press conference with Auditor General DePasquale and Madison on Thursday, I think it's great that the auditor general has chosen to highlight Madison's efforts to shine a light on the issue of the backlog of untested rape kits," said state Rep. Garth D. Everett, R-Muncy.

All of it is happening because a young girl was willing to work to get a list of signatures to draw attention to an issue that was important to her.

"I think Madison's crusade to bring attention to this issue should be a lesson to people, young and old, that if they get involved they can make a difference," Everett said.

Michael Wertz said he was impressed with the progress Madison's efforts have made and looks forward to having her petition online where many others can sign it.

"This whole thing is getting really big," he said. "She's just so amazing. I'm in awe of her."

He said that Madison plans to keep going and get as much attention to the issue as she can get. She hopes to get on the Ellen DeGeneres show someday and reach a wider audience to help her community.

"She's worked so hard, and she just keeps going," he said. "We call her Little Harvard cause she's going places."

A video of Madison may be posted on www.facebook.com/PAAuditorGeneral/ later today.

Madison also was one of six finalists for the Sun-Gazette's sixth annual Person of the Year feature.