Reach Counseling and Aurora to showcase "I Am Evidence"

Reach Counseling and Aurora hospital believes giving an HBO documentary the big screen treatment can have a big impact.

"Really get people in the community to understand the issue of the accumulation of sexual assault kits," said Reach Counseling’s Jessica Schneider.

Schneider believes in the benefit of holding a screening of "I Am Evidence".

The film focuses on the high number of untested rape kits in the U.S.

It's a problem, she says, is well-documented in Wisconsin.

"Wisconsin had over 6,000 untested sexual assault kits, sitting in storage at police departments or hospitals," said Schneider.

Under Wisconsin's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which Action 2 News has been following, more than 13,000 of those kits have been tested. That has lead to charges against two people in Winnebago and Waupaca counties.

"The attention around the unsubmitted sexual assaults kits should encourage victims to come and get tested,” Schneider said. “Because now we are at the point where we believe our survivors and we want to do things to help."

Schneider says more can always be done to hold the offenders accountable, like a faster process to test the kits.

A panel discussion will take place after the film airs Tuesday night and it includes Winnebago County's Assistant District Attorney, Eric Sparr.

"There's a lot of interest in whether it's worth it and what the outcomes are and people are going to look at that stuff and we're going to have that data, so it’s good," said Sparr.

The showing and discussions takes place at the Time Community Theatre in Oshkosh at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday.