Latest news with #rapeKits
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Serious concerns are raised over self-swab 'DIY' rape kits being issued to university students
A rape support charity has raised 'serious concerns' over self-swab 'rape kits' being marketed to UK university students. The kits mean people who have been sexually assaulted or raped can swab themselves and ship it to a lab so the DNA of an alleged attacker can be tested. Some of the samples can be stored and frozen for up to two decades, and if police are later notified of an incident it can be given to a respective force. In recent months, these kits have now been shared with students across UK universities. Companies have said such kits provide victims a simpler way to report rape, while also saying they act as a deterrent. But Rape Crisis England and Wales have issued a stark warning, while raising several concerns with the way the rape kits functioned. In a statement via their website, it cited fears the kits gave victims 'false hope' as self-collected evidence might not hold up in criminal court. 'Although a self-swab kit might seem like a good idea, evidence collection needs to be done in a safe and legally compliant way for it to have most use in criminal trials,' it said. 'There is far more evidence than DNA which is relevant in a situation where a survivor chooses to pursue criminal justice, and which can and should be collected if that's the right option for her. 'At-home kits can't offer that level of protection and may give survivors false hope that any evidence they gather could be relied on in a criminal trial.' Evidence is made reliable when it is carried out in professional forensic medical examinations, where the area is controlled and forensically cleaned to avoid contamination, according to the charity. And unlike medical examinations, self-swab kits can't collect all evidence needed, including, injuries, clothing, blood samples and medical findings. While the kits are able to collect DNA evidence, Rape Crisis also said its rarely used in trails and can't prove any interaction was non-consensual. 'More importantly, survivors need specialist, trauma-informed support to help them understand their options in the short, medium and longer term after rape or any form of sexual abuse,' it said. They also have a low conviction rate for rape, with five of six victims in the UK opting not to report a sexual assault. Last year, 2.7 percent of the 71,227 rapes recorded by police ended in perpetrators being charged. Firms selling the self-swab 'rape' kits said they give victims of sexual assault a 'simpler, easier way to report and create real deterrence'. Enough, a firm selling such kits for £20 online and has been giving them to University of Bristol students for free, said their aim 'is deterrence not immediate criminal justice'. The company claimed 70 percent of university students they surveyed at Bristol said the kits had prevented acts of sexual violence on campus. In the last half-a-year, more than 200 reports were made, the not-for profit claimed, with 90 percent of Bristol students saying they were aware of Enough, the firm told The Independent. Katie White, the Enough co-founder said: 'Survivors are asking for Enough. The most common question they ask is "how does this not already exist?" They thank Enough for stopping young women being raped.' On their website, it encouraged survivors to report the incident to police or to attend a SARC first, so they can get a full forensic examination. It also said while their kits were made by the same forensic experts who make them for the police, there was no guarantee self-collected evidence would be admissible in court. It comes after the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine and Rape Crisis issued a statement last year saying they did not support the kits. They said it could 'put survivors at risk' if they weren't informed with the correct knowledge.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Warning over self-swab ‘rape kits' marketed to university students
Self-swab 'rape kits' are being marketed to university students in the UK, allowing individuals to collect and store DNA evidence of an alleged perpetrator. Rape Crisis England and Wales, along with forensic experts, have expressed serious concerns that evidence collected by these kits may not be legally admissible due to contamination risks and lack of comprehensive forensic examination. Critics warn that the kits could give survivors 'false hope' regarding legal outcomes, as professional forensic examinations are conducted in controlled environments and include broader evidence collection. Companies selling the kits, such as 'Enough', claim they act as a deterrent to sexual violence and offer a simpler reporting method, with some students reporting positive perceptions. Beyond legal admissibility, concerns also include the kits' inability to provide the crucial trauma-informed, in-person support that survivors need, which is offered by specialist support services.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Self-swab ‘rape kits' being marketed at students a ‘serious concern'
Rape support groups have expressed 'serious concerns' over self-swab 'rape kits' being marketed towards university students in the UK. The kits allow people who have been sexually assaulted or raped to take a swab themselves and send it off to a lab to be tested for the DNA of the alleged perpetrator. Half the sample is frozen and can be kept for up to 20 years and handed to the police if the incident is later reported. Such kits have been handed out to students on UK university campuses in recent months, with companies saying the kits act as a deterrent and provide a simpler way to report a rape. However, Rape Crisis England and Wales has warned that although the kits might seem like a good idea, there are concerns about how they work. It warned survivors that the kits may not be able to collect the evidence needed to prove rape and that any evidence gathered may not be legally admissible - giving them 'false hope' that it could help in a legal case. 'Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW) are aware that in parts of the country, self-swab 'rape kits' are beingmarketed to students and universities as a way for survivors – primarily, but not always, women and girls - to report rape, and to deter rapists,' a statement issued by Rape Crisis said. 'Although a self-swab kit might seem like a good idea, evidence collection needs to be done in a safe and legally compliant way for it to have most use in criminal trials.' It added: 'At-home kits can't offer that level of protection and may give survivors false hope that any evidence they gather could be relied on in a criminal trial.' It said this was because professional forensic medical examinations take place in forensically cleaned, controlled environments with strict rules to avoid contamination, making the evidence reliable. Unlike self-swab kits, they also include assessments of injuries, clothing, blood samples, and other medical findings. The kits have emerged amid a low rate of convictions for rape, with as many as five in six UK victims choosing not to report a rape at all. In 2024, 71,227 rapes were recorded by police, but only 2.7 per cent of these had resulted in charges by the end of the year. Companies selling the kits say they provide survivors with a 'simpler, easier way to report and create real deterrence'. Enough, a company that has handed out free kits at the University of Bristol and also sells them online for £20, says their main aim is to act as a deterrent, not to provide criminal justice. It told The Independent that 70 per cent of polled students in Bristol said the kits had prevented sexual violence on campus, 90 per cent are aware of the not-for-profit and over 200 reports have been made in just six months. 'Survivors are asking for Enough. The most common question they ask is 'how does this not already exist?' They thank Enough for stopping young women being raped.' Katie White, the Enough co-founder said. Its website says that if a person is seeking to report a rape to the police, they should go to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) first. It also says that leading KCs had confirmed DNA evidence collected by its kits - which are made by the same forensic experts that make them for the police - may be admissible at trial, but there are no guarantees of this. Rape Crisis said while these self swap kits may provide DNA evidence, it is rarely used in rape trials as they cannot prove any activity was non consensual. Although Enough points people to where they can get further support on its website, Rape Crisis also raised concerns that the kits don't offer specialist, in-person support: 'Survivors need trauma-informed care, reassurance, and to be heard and believed. A self-swab kit can't provide emotional support or explain next steps, but a trained support worker in a Rape Crisis centre, or an Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) can.' Rape Crisis is the latest organisation to voice its concern over the kits, after the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM) issued a joint statement on the issue last year. It said it did not currently support the use of self-swab kits, and it could 'put survivors at risk' if they did not have the correct information.
