Advertising watchdog rules rape victims were misled on DIY self-swab kits after the Daily Mail revealed how they jeopardised prosecutions

By REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR Published: 00:00, 20 May 2026 | Updated: 00:04, 20 May 2026 Rape victims have been misled over claims they can get justice with self-swab kits, the advertising watchdog has ruled. A firm marketing DIY testing kits as the ‘breathalyser of rape’ has been blasted by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making misleading claims that self-swabs produce evidence admissible in court. It comes after the Daily Mail revealed warnings from police chiefs that the kits could jeopardise prosecutions and ‘present significant risk to victims’. More than 8,000 kits have been given to university students by the firm Enough, which claims their £20 product is an active ‘deterrent’ to rapists, telling victims they can get justice by self-swabbing for the presence of their attacker’s DNA. The firm selling the kits on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok caused a social media sensation, after claiming that rape victims can retrieve DNA samples of their attacker with a swab and store the evidence for 20 years, giving women ‘a sense of control and power’ as they have the option to go to the police when they want. But today the advertising watchdog will say these adverts should be banned because they are making ‘unsubstantiated’ and ‘misleading’ claims. In a devastating ruling, the ASA has also criticised the firm for scaremongering, making false claims that women are twice as likely to be raped than diagnosed with cancer. Regulators also found that Enough were exaggerating figures, claiming 430,000 people were raped in the UK last year, which is almost three times the official statistic held by the ONS of around 150,000 victims. More than 8,000 kits have been given to university students by Enough, which claims their £20 product is an active ‘deterrent’ to rapists. Pictured is Katie White, the company's co-founder Police have warned intimate swabs taken by victims at home offer no proof of rape. One rape case has already been dropped after a child victim relied on an Enough kit for evidence The ruling comes after complaints from a former Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, former Head of the Prison and Probation Service, and former Chief Executive of Barnardo’s. Police, prosecutors and over 40 sexual assault charities and organisations have also written to the Government asking them to take action, warning that sexual predators could walk free because intimate swabs taken by victims at home offer no proof of rape. One rape case has already been dropped by police after a child victim relied on one of Enough’s kits for evidence. The kits, which resemble a cotton bud, are supplied without gloves and victims are instructed to send samples of semen or saliva to the company in the post, risking contamination and damage in transit as it will not be frozen until arriving at a lab days later. Shadow safeguarding minister Alicia Kearns, who has launched a campaign to ban the kits, said: ‘Today’s ruling exposes what I have been saying for a long time: Enough has been lying to women and girls. ‘They told survivors their kits were admissible in court. There is no evidence to substantiate that. They told women 430,000 people are raped every year in the UK. That’s three times the ONS figure. They told our daughters they were more likely to be raped than get cancer. That is shameful fearmongering designed to sell a product. ‘These kits are not empowerment - they are exploitation dressed up as empathy. They push survivors away from the police, away from rape crisis centres, away from the professionals who can actually help them get justice and begin to heal. A case has already collapsed because a victim relied on one of these kits. That is the real-world consequence of Enough’s false promises. ‘I will not stop until these kits are taken off the market and taken off our university campuses. Survivors deserve truth, professional support, and justice - not a product that monetises their trauma and destroys their chance of justice in court.’ Trading Standards is now separately investigating the firm following similar complaints. Ciara Bergman, CEO of Rape Crisis UK, said: ‘We welcome today’s ruling from the Advertising Standards Authority, the UK’s independent regulator, confirming many of the concerns which Rape Crisis England & Wales and other committed journalists and parliamentarians like Alicia Kearns MP, have been raising since June 2025, about the promotion of self-swab "rape kits". ‘Survivors of rape and sexual abuse, and indeed the general public, must always be provided with clear and accurate information about products which are being advertised and sold to them.’ A spokeswoman for Enough said: ‘We respect the ASA’s ruling and have updated our wording to ensure greater clarity.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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