DIY rape package co-opts #MeToo motion to earn a living, raises considerations about courtroom admissibility

Posted On Oct 5, 2019 By admin With Comments Off

A Brooklyn, New York, startup is getting a lot of resistance for some very good reasons. The company, MeToo, claims to sell the first DIY rape kit that survivors of sexual violence can use at home to gather evidence of a sex crime. Marketing such gears is at best misleading and at worst incredibly irresponsible. Actually, at worst, it’s actively preying on the fear many survivors face when it is necessary to going a real forensic quiz done.

MeToo marketplaces the kits as a highway to help survivors have more restraint in the process. It’s true that getting a rape paraphernalium done can be distressing for survivors for a variety of reasons, straying from medical personnel who lack bedside manner to police who don’t believe you to your figure( and spirit) recovering from a brutal violation.

Seeking a crime kit can be additionally nerve-wracking for people who are marginalized, such as sex works, people who are transgender, or people who aren’t native talkers of the regional word. What’s tough, though, is that, while it’s understandable that countless would prefer to gather evidence in private, there’s no saying that the evidence compiled with a DIY kit would ever be admissible in court.

Survivors could be left without the evidence they need to ever build a case. The described in the paraphernalium does not perform that clear. “The MeToo Kit is designed to address the problem is connected with traditional unlawful sexual intercourse packs available to survivors, ” the company’s webgune predicts. “Most importantly, our paraphernalium sanctions survivors to accurately gather evidence in a give and duration of their choice.”

Again: It’s totally understandable why a survivor would prefer to have the gear done in the privacy of their own home, or with the assistance of a loved one instead of a total stranger. However, forensic medical exams–which certainly can be improved upon, especially by providing victim advocates to survivors–generally include a full medical exam, STI and maternity prevention alternatives, management for hurts, and, yes, attest collecting. They’re likewise conducted by instructed professionals who know what they’re looking for.

“None of these critical procedures are included with the MeToo Kit, ” Day One, a sexual violence advocacy group, said during a statement Wednesday. “These MeToo Kits are trying to capitalize on the #MeToo movement, while misguiding scapegoats into thinking these packs are a viable alternative to a forensic exam.”

According to the company website, the MeToo Kits include a container to spew into, container to shut the evidence presented, and swabs for certain body parts.

“This company is shamelessly trying to take fiscal advantage of the ‘Me Too’ movement lure victims into thinking that an at-home-do-it-yourself sexual assault kit will stand up in law, ” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Career counsels known better sign collected in this way would not provide the necessary chain of custody.”

What does the startup have to say on that? Not too much. MeToo told New York City NBC affiliate News 4 it “wholeheartedly agrees” that reporting to law enforcement and get a medical exam are the “best option to helping bring perpetrators to justice.” So then, why the package? “We also recognize that, in the immediate aftermath of such a traumatizing event, some survivors may be hesitating or unwilling to go through this reporting and exam process, ” MeToo said. “That is the problem we are working to solve — generate survivors more occasion and pick, without sacrificing the evidence needed to bring their perpetrators to justice.”

But again, this comes up against the( as of now) clear actuality that the evidence rallied with the pack wouldn’t hold up in tribunal. So where is this justice coming from?

The MeToo Kits aren’t hitherto for sale immediately to purchasers. Instead, it appears that the startup is looking to sell the kits to universities and pharmacies. If you want to purchase one as the interests of consumers, you’re added to a waiting list. No toll is listed.

Giving survivors as much support and sovereignty as possible is vital. But marketing DIY rape kits–at least in this context–is terribly misleading. The very implement of the motto “MeToo” co-opts a survivor motion. It’s hard to shake off the “ick” factor of this one.