Brooklyn Start-Up Under Fire For First-Ever DIY Rape Kit: Report

DOWNTOWN, BROOKLYN — A local start-up company has come under fire for selling the first-ever rape kits that survivors of sexual assault can complete at home.

The Jay Street company, MeToo, hasn't started selling its DIY "sexual assault evidence kit" yet, but has started advertising them online as a way to help victims regain control.

“The MeToo Kit is designed to address the problem associated with traditional sexual assault kits available to survivors," the company says on its website. "Most importantly, our kit empowers survivors to accurately collect evidence in a setting and timing of their choice."

But the kits have started a debate about whether they can sufficiently replace those done by trained medical personnel, News 4 reported.

The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault told News 4 that the MeToo kids are "morally and legally irresponsible" and can be misleading to survivors of sexual assault.

Sexual assault forensic examinations should be done by those with advanced training and are also meant so medical personnel can provide treatment for sexually transmitted infections, physical and emotional injuries, the organization said.

The start-up has also gotten attention all the way in Michigan, where the state's Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a warning about the kits and sent a letter asking MeToo to cease and desist.

“This company is shamelessly trying to take financial advantage of the ‘Me Too’ movement luring victims into thinking that an at-home-do-it-yourself sexual assault kit will stand up in court,” Nessel said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Career prosecutors know that evidence collected in this way would not provide the necessary chain of custody.”

The kits, named for the #MeToo movement, includes swabs for certain body parts, a container to spit into and packaging to seal the evidence, along with clothing, according to the company website.

MeToo told News 4 that the company "wholeheartedly agrees" with Nessel that reporting to law enforcement and going through a medical forensics exam are the "best option to helping bring perpetrators to justice."

"We also recognize that, in the immediate aftermath of such a traumatizing event, some survivors may be hesitant or unwilling to go through this reporting and exam process," MeToo said. "That is the problem we are working to solve -- giving survivors more time and choice, without sacrificing the evidence needed to bring their perpetrators to justice."

To read the full News 4 report click here.