By Anna Jordan, News Reporter, Omar Doha, News Reporter & Lenny Osler, News Editor
Trigger Warning: Mentions of rape and sexual violence.
Yesterday, Enough, a company that offers students free self-swab rape test kits, set up on campus outside Royal Fort Lodge handing out kits and leaflets.
At 3:40 PM, the University of Bristol issued an alert raising concerns about the safety of these self-test kits, citing evidence from ‘forensic experts’, the NHS, and the charity Rape Crisis.
Enough describes itself as ‘a social movement to end rape’ that offer a ‘simple, quick and discreet way of reporting rape’.
Solveig, a campaigner for Enough, told Epigram the company were ‘trying to bridge the gap’, adding that ‘about 80% of [rape] survivors don’t feel able to engage with the current system - either going to the police or a sexual assault referral centre (SARC)’.
The company first appeared on the University campus in January 2025, but have been absent for over a year after students reported the company ‘targeted drunk students for promotional purposes’.
Lucy Hobday - the Bristol graduate behind @enoughofenoughbristol, a social media campaign against Enough - said ‘five or six representatives filmed themselves giving me a rape kit when I was too drunk to say no or understand what was going on’. Enough later apologised.
The company also received criticism for speaking at a far-right rally in London last year, alongside groups and individuals associated with Tommy Robinson. Enough subsequently said they ‘abhor racism’ and are ‘not aligned with the far right.’
Enough’s social media marketing has also been criticised after they published a video filmed at KCL, in which male students appeared to speak trivially about issues of rape and sexual assault.
Rape Crisis said kits like those provided by Enough are ‘marketed as a way for survivors to gather proof that they’ve been assaulted’, but ‘only collect a limited amount of evidence’ and would be ‘rarely used’ in rape trials.
The charity also argued the kits ‘give survivors false hope, instead of the specialist support they deserve.’
Chief Constable Sarah Crew, NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences, said self‑swabbing in ‘unregulated environments’ contradicted what she described as policing’s ‘victim‑centred, suspect‑focused and context‑led approach’.
‘[F]orensic evidence gathered without continuity, control or clinical oversight’, she added, ‘is at high risk of being challenged in court and may ultimately be unusable.’
Nel Roden
Oliver Poyser
Solveig claimed Enough’s self-swab kits were ‘actively being used in police investigations’, adding the company was ‘just trying to give more options for survivors.’
Bristol SU said last year they ‘do not promote or endorse’ Enough due to ‘concerns raised by the NHS, police, and local support services regarding the use of self-swab tests.’
In their alert, the University of Bristol said:
‘We are aware that “Enough” have been promoting “self-testing DNA kits for survivors of rape” on campus today.
‘The University does not endorse these kits and has no partnership with this company. Concerns have been raised about self-testing DNA kits by forensic experts, the charity Rape Crisis and the NHS.
‘Our website has advice for anyone who’s been a victim of sexual misconduct, including accessing support from our dedicated Sexual and Relationship Harm Support service: Sexual misconduct | Current students | University of Bristol’
Featured image: Epigram / Anna Jordan
