In a deeply personal essay for People, Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay revealed that she was raped by a friend in her thirties—an assault she describes as “not sexual at all, but about dominance and control.” She recounts freezing in terror, dissociating from her body, and later suppressing the memory just to survive. Now, decades later, Hargitay is reclaiming her story with compassion for her younger self, channeling her pain into advocacy through the Joyful Heart Foundation, and calling for a world where survivors of sexual violence are met with the same empathy and respect as those who overcome any other trauma. Let’s watch how her courage transforms pain into purpose and reshapes the conversation around survival.