Rape survivor calls for controversial self-test kits

A group wants to distribute self-swab test kits for sexual assault victims in the Channel Islands, which authorities have warned against.

The kits 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.

Officials have heavily criticised the evidential value of the "problematic" kits, while the UK's National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) warned against their use, stating they can "create false expectations" for victims.

Rosalie Van Zutphen, a survivor of sexual assault, is an advocate for Enough which wants to hold pop-up distribution events in the Channel Islands this year.

A total of 250 sexual offences were reported in the Bailiwick of Guernsey in 2025, with 69 reported cases of rape and 67 of sexual assault.

Van Zutphen said she felt many cases still went unreported - in part due to the size of Guernsey's small community.

"You may actually know people in the police force," she said.

"Going into that office (the police station) saying, 'this has happened to me' - you're so vulnerable'."

She said the kits allowed people to "discreetly" collect forensic evidence and send it by post for testing, and making them available in Guernsey may encourage more victims to come forward.

She added she had been "in a state of shock" after she was sexually assaulted, and this had meant "it was not an option" for her to go to the police or a sexual assault referral centre for forensic evidence to be collected.

"If I had the option to have a self-swab test kit that I could do myself, I could have had more time to choose what I wanted to do," she said.

• If you have been affected by the issues in this article, help and support can be found at BBC Action Line.

Megan Pullum KC, Guernsey's HM Procureur - the chief legal adviser to the government - said there was no guarantee the kits could be relied upon as evidence in court proceedings.

"Decisions as to their use evidentially are likely to have to be made on a case by case basis in discussion with Guernsey Police," she said.

In a joint statement the States of Jersey Police and Dewberry House, Jersey's sexual assault referral centre, said the kits "may have limited evidential value in any criminal justice process".

They added: "There is also no evidence to suggest that the availability of such kits acts as a deterrent to sexual offending."

The equivalent centre in Guernsey, Willow House, said that it did not support "the promotion or distribution of self‑swab 'rape kits' to victim‑survivors of sexual assault".

It said the kits were "deeply problematic and potentially harmful", and added that while they "may appear helpful they can only gather a narrow range of evidence" and this is a view supported by Guernsey Police.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned online posts made by Enough for containing unproven claims about how evidence from their kits could be used in court and how many women were raped in the UK each year.

Jersey Police said it followed NPCC guidance, which warns against the use of self‑swabbing kits in unregulated environments.

"Asking victims to collect intimate evidence alone, at a moment of crisis, places an unfair burden on them and risks both their wellbeing and the integrity of any investigation," the NPCC said in a statement.

"These kits can create false expectations."

Guernsey Police said in line with the national guidance it "cannot promote the use of these kits".

Both Police services encouraged victims to attend a Sexual Assault Referral Centre to receive "holistic, trauma-informed service".

• To contact Willow House in Guernsey, you can reach them at 01481 227700
• To contact Dewberry House in Jersey, you can reach them at 01534 888222

Dr Alex Gorton, the president of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine, an authoritative body on the subject in the UK, agreed the kits offered "false hope".

He said while "anything" could be admissible in court, anybody trying to rely upon the evidence provided by the kits would have "an uphill battle to fight".

Campaigners are determined to make the kits available in the Channel Islands.

"Clearly the system isn't working," said Katie White, co-founder of Enough.

"We can work with any community organisation, club, bar, restaurant.

Van Zutphen added: "We're not trying to replace the police or going to a SARC.

"We're trying to give another option to survivors."

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