We Are Survivors enthusiastically welcomes the ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regarding claims made by a self-swab testing company concerning the potential admissibility in court of evidence obtained using its self-testing kits.
Last August we fully endorsed Rape Crisis England and Wales’ Position Statement on self-swab rape kits, stating that the kits unfairly place the responsibility of deterrence and evidence gathering on the survivor, and recommending that victims seek support from their nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC).
The ASA ruling supports concerns raised by the FFLM (The Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine), Rape Crisis, and the 30 other organisations working within the sexual harms sector. The FFLM said that they welcomed the ruling by ASA, and stated that:
“Anyone who experiences sexual assault requires support and accurate information when navigating options for therapeutic and forensic care.”
Our Chief Executive Officer, Duncan Craig OBE, said:
“I am so pleased to see the ASA ruling as I have been really concerned about the advertising and therefore marketing of these so called ‘self-swab rape kits’.”
“Concerns have been viewed through the violence against women and girls lens but I’ve been worried of how the ‘shame’ that surrounds male victims of rape may be the reason my fellow male survivors see these kits as THE solution and therefore don’t access the support they could – whether that is with an ISVA, therapy or just engaging with their fellow survivors in building community”.
“I have always maintained that whilst sexual harm happens in seclusion, healing happens together.”
In addition to the inaccurate claims addressed by the ASA ruling, the FFLM has stated that the company also falsely suggested that the FFLM had ‘endorsed self-swabbing’ – which was absolutely not the case and never will be – and had the names of Senior Officers without permission in support of its claims. The company also claimed support and engagement from the FFLM’s Lead Forensic Scientist, which is untrue, as the FFLM does not have a Lead Forensic Scientist.
It is abhorrent that victims/survivors of sexual harm have been misinformed in this way, and We Are Survivors will continue to ensure that male victims/survivors are provided with the best support and the widest possible array of options.
We Are Survivors does not support the use of ‘self-swab kits’.
Click here to read ASA’s ruling
Click here to read the FFLM’s position statement
Click here to read our previous endorsement of Rape Crisis’ position statement
