The UK's rape kit scandal is again under scrutiny, with one company at the centre of a heated debate over its provision of self-swabbing kits for potential victims. Founded by Katie White two years ago, Enough aims to empower individuals to collect DNA evidence for private analysis, but its methods have sparked criticism from victim support organisations and police.
The statistics on rape in England and Wales are nothing short of staggering. Between 2021-22, a total of over 70,000 rapes were reported to the authorities – yet only 2,223 cases resulted in charges. The vast majority of survivors choose not to report their experiences, with an estimated 83% opting out of the formal reporting process altogether.
Enough's kits, distributed on university campuses and online, aim to provide a stepping stone for survivors before they decide whether to engage with Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) or law enforcement. However, this initiative has been met with significant pushback from victim support groups and police forces, who warn that the self-swabbing kits could reduce trust in statutory services and potentially lead to evidence being inadmissible in court.
While these concerns are acknowledged as valid, proponents of Enough argue that they do not address the root causes of survivors' reluctance to report their experiences. Many victims face a gruelling legal process with minimal chances of conviction, echoing concerns raised by former Victims' Commissioner Vera Baird six years ago that rape had been effectively decriminalised.
The debate took an unexpected turn when Martin Narey, former head of Prisons and Probation in England and Wales, reported Enough's online materials to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over a statement claiming that 430,000 rapes occur annually. The ASA ruled against the company, citing concerns about its methodology for estimating total rapes – but official statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) paint a grim picture. According to the ONS, approximately 900,000 sexual assaults and attempted sexual assaults occurred in England and Wales between April 2024 and March 2025.