Adverts for DNA self-swab kits banned as misleading

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Adverts for DNA self-swab kits banned as misleadingJust now Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleFrancesca OsborneBBC West InvestigationsBBCThis kit contains a swab, a vial of water, a plastic tube and instructions A company issuing self-swab DNA testing kits to sexual assault victims has had online posts banned for containing misleading information. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that Enough's website, LinkedIn post and GoFundMe page made unproven claims about how evidence from their kits could be used in court and how many women were raped in the UK each year. Sir Martin Narey, the former head of the Prison and Probation Services in England and Wales who brought the complaint about the adverts, said: "I thought they were frightening young women and terrifying their parents by exaggerating the likelihood of being raped.

" Miles Lockwood from the ASA said the posts were banned for lacking evidence. In a statement, Enough said it respected the ASA's ruling and had updated its wording. Narey said he had initially supported Enough with the launch of a Dads for Daughters group, which encouraged fathers to back their project.

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However, he said he had started to become increasingly concerned the company may be "exaggerating" claims. The ASA found the website made claims that added to the impression that the kits would lead to securing the prosecution of perpetrators if used and handled properlyEnough, which launched in Bristol, said a woman was twice as likely to be raped as diagnosed with cancer and inflated figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the number of rapes that happen in the UK each year. ONS figures show 71,227 rapes were reported to the police in 2024, but Enough said the figure could be substantially higher based on the number of incidents not reported.

"The thing that worried me much more than that were the claims about the likely admissibility of the self-swab kits," said Narey. "The awful truth is that young women and parents have bought these kits in the hope that it might help in the awful event of their daughter being harmed. "They hope that that might bring someone to justice.

It's likely to do the reverse. " Enough started handing out the kits to Bristol students free of charge last year and has also been selling them online for £20. The premise behind the tests is to allow people who think they have been sexually assaulted to take a swab at home and get it tested for the DNA of an alleged perpetrator and have the results stored.

Katie White is the co-founder of Enough, which she started with Tom Allchurch Forensic experts had previously raised concerns about the DIY kits to the , saying they risked giving victims false hope. The Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine issued a joint statement in September 2024 from a number of individuals and organisations, including clinicians, forensic scientists and the Forensic Capability Network.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.