Fashion brand criticised for offering anti-spiking kits for International Women’s Day

One in nine women in the UK say they have been spiked

One in nine women in the UK say they have been spiked (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Fast fashion brand I Saw It First has received a mixed response on social media after announcing it is giving customers free anti-spiking drink testing kits as part of its International Women’s Day campaign.

A promotional message on the retailer’s website reads: “Happy International Women’s Day. We are giving away anti-spiking test kits in every order.”

The scheme, which is in partnership with spiking detection test creators Check Your Drink, has received a mixed response online.

Announcing the offer on its social media, I Saw It First also posted a number of promotional messages containing sexual innuendos.

One sign communicating that the test is under three inches and easy to carry in you handbag reads: “Size does matter. (3 inches could change your life).”

Another reads, “the perfect fit... to slip into your bag, purse or pocket”.

A third says, “Get your kit out. We’ve teamed up with Check Your Drink to give away free testing kits in parcels.”

While some women have praised the brand for raising awareness of the issue, others accused the retailer of failing to “read the room”.

“This is unbelievably dark. A free anti-spiking kit to further your capitalistic ambitions!? IWD should be a day to celebrate women not use violence against women to make money,” one person wrote on Instagram.

“So what did everyone else get for sexist xmas? *cough* #IWD *cough* My fave was the free anti-spiking test kit I got with my 10 per cent discount code for I Saw It First. Really nice and dystopian [sic],” another tweeted.

“I did not just see on Instagram that a company are celebrating IWD by giving away a free spiking test kit with every order. We’re truly doomed,” a third person said.

“International Women’s Day is wild, because being a woman is a tough business. The world wants you dead, so here’s a discount code for CLOTHES, with a free spiking kit. Let’s go girls!” another tweeted.

Last November, a YouGov survey of 870 men and 823 men, carried out for The Independent, found that one in nine women in the UK have had their drink spiked.

Additionally, one in three women said they know someone who has been spiked, while four in 10 fear that police officers would not take them seriously if they reported their drink had been spiked.

The Independent has contacted I Saw It First for comment.