Children rarely mistake it or lie about child sexual abuse. It is usually very difficult for children who are abused or neglected to report the problem to anyone. In fact, the overall rate of false accusation is low, less than 10%. “Children Tend to Understate Rather than Overstate the Extent of Any Abuse Experienced,” says the 1999 National Study of Child Abuse.
Effect on the Child and the Accused
Allegations of sexual abuse can be inherently traumatic, even when false. A person falsely charged with sexual abuse often faces numerous problems of their own. The horrendous nature of the crime leveled at them often evokes a overwhelming sense of betrayal.
In highly publicized cases, the general public has a tendency to assume the accused is guilty, leading to very serious social stigma. The accused, even if acquitted, risks being fired from their job, losing their friends and other relationships, having their property vandalized, and being harassed by those believing them to be guilty. Many are forced to move and many families have to go on welfare. Social and family relationships are also strained, with many marriages ending in divorce or separation.
The Effects of Allegations of Sexual Abuse on Families
The consequences of the abuse charges on their job status, living and financial situations, and family and social relationships can be quite devastating to families. In addition to family disbandment, relocation, and financial crisis, families may have to deal with the humiliation of the public announcement of the abuse.
Often left isolated and treated as a pariah, victims of false allegations are subjected to the humiliation of being removed from their home, placed in foster care, and cut off from siblings and peers.
The spouse suffers the humiliation of having a convicted sex offender for a husband, the loss of the husband's income, probable relocation, separate residences, the daughter's absence, and marital strain or possible divorce.
Non-abused children suffer by having a convicted felon for a father, probable humiliation by their peers, the probability of living on welfare, going through the divorce of their parents, watching their mother not be able to cope with the strain, and possibly ending up in foster care themselves. Trauma in personal health, family breakdown, loss of employment, and/or having to go on welfare are very common in cases of allegations of abuse, as well as depression, sleep difficulties, nausea, and weight loss.
False accusations of sexual abuse can be devastating to all concerned. An allegation of sexual abuse of a child is very easy to make, much more difficult to disprove.
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