Reasons why everyone should watch Law and Order SVU

March 22, 2022

There are many reasons that Law and Order SVU has been on the air for 22 years. Here are a few that I think are particularly important:

The topic of consent is covered extensively

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What is consent?

Our university has established a #WeGetConsent campaign to define what consent means.

“Consent is an active, direct, voluntary, unimpaired, and conscious choice and agreement to engage or continue in sexual activity. Consent to one act does not mean consent to another.”

- Ontario Tech University

To be honest, before starting university I knew what consent was but never saw an initiative dedicated to it. I’m really glad that our school has taken on that responsibility of educating students and developing such an impactful campaign.

Consent in Law and Order SVU

It is absolutely appalling to watch episodes of SVU and see perpetrators justify acts of sexual assault. However, the show amplifies the importance of consent. The scenarios are presented in a way that as viewers we are constantly reaffirming our knowledge of what consent is and why it’s important by watching the survivors tell their stories and stand up to their assailants.

Victim blaming is not condoned

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In 2018, StatsCan stated that “One in five victims of sexual assault—both women and men—felt blamed for their own victimization. Most commonly, the perpetrator or the victim’s friends or family were the source of this feeling.” [1] . The characters who play survivors on Law and Order SVU are empowered to speak up and tell their stories. They are reminded that they are believed, that it wasn’t their fault, and that they did everything they could to survive. I’d like to think that life imitates art and that watching the show helps people unlearn any ideas they were taught about victim-blaming.

Tackles real life issues

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In 2018, Mariska Hargitay who plays Olivia Benson on Law & Order SVU co-produced a documentary called “I Am Evidence” to shine a light on the rape kit backlog in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Cleveland [2]. I think it is truly admirable to not only be a part of a show that starts much-needed conversations about sexual assault but also put forth efforts to enact legislative change.