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False allegations of child sexual abuse by children are rare

“allegations made by child victims match closely with confessions of pedophiles”

“The evidence indicates that very few (children) lied originally.”

“children tend to minimize and deny abuse, not exaggerate or over-report such
incidents”

How often do children’s reports of abuse turn out to be false? Research has
consistently shown that false allegations of child sexual abuse by children are
rare. Jones and McGraw examined 576 consecutive referrals of child sexual abuse to
the Denver Department of Social Services, and categorized the reports as either
reliable or fictitious. In only 1% of the total cases were children judged to have
advanced a fictitious allegation. Jones, D. P. H., and J. M. McGraw: Reliable and
Fictitious Accounts of Sexual Abuse to Children. Journal of Interpersonal
Violence, 2, 27-45, 1987. In a more recent study, investigators reviewed case
notes of all child sexual abuse reports to the Denver Department of Social
Services over 12 months. Of the 551 cases reviewed, there were only 14 (2.5%)
instances of erroneous concerns about abuse emanating from children. These
consisted of three cases of allegations made in collusion with a parent, three
cases where an innocent event was misinterpreted as sexual abuse and eight cases
(1.5%) of false allegations of sexual abuse. Oates, R. K., D.P. Jones, D. Denson,
A. Sirotnak, N. Gary, and R.D. Krugman: Erroneous Concerns about Child Sexual
Abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect 24:149-57, 2000….Children Tend to Understate Rather
than Overstate the Extent of Any Abuse Experienced - Research with children whose
sexual abuse has been proven has shown that children tend to minimize and deny
abuse, not exaggerate or over-report such incidents.
http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/res/csa-acc.html

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/?id=ABUSE.SPR

Children’s Testimony More Reliable than Physical Exams

Description
Allegations made by child victims of sexual abuse closely match the confessions of
perpetrators. In addition, physical exams are unreliable indicators of sexual
abuse.

Children’s testimony more reliable than physical exams in cases of sexual abuse

Although many people find a child’s testimony in cases of sexual abuse hard to
believe, a new study proves that their allegations should be taken seriously.

The study, conducted at Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati, shows


that allegations made by child victims match closely with confessions of
pedophiles. The study also shows that genital exams are most often normal in
victims of sexual abuse, even when genital penetration is admitted to, making it
all the more imperative to listen to what children say, according to the study’s
authors….

The researchers reviewed the records of 31 pedophiles who confessed between 1994
and 1999. The case files contained all available victim, witness and perpetrator
statements, and pertinent victim medical records. They analyzed each case for
admissions or denials of specific sexual acts. They also analyzed victim medical
histories, examinations and reports from criminal investigators for specific
histories of sexual assault and exam findings.

The 31 perpetrators confessed to a total of 101 acts of sexual abuse, some of


which they committed multiple times. The perpetrators abused 47 children. The 45
old enough to provide a history described 111 acts of sexual abuse.

The perpetrators confessed to 68 percent of their victims’ allegations, and they


denied 6 percent. The only acts denied were some allegations of penile-vaginal and
penile-rectal penetration, possibly because of the stiffer criminal penalties
associated with penetration, according to Dr. Shapiro, an emergency medicine
physician at Cincinnati Children’s. The perpetrators were not specifically asked
about the other 26 percent of victim allegations….

Recantation in Child Sexual Abuse Cases - Rieser, Margaret - Child Welfare, v70
n6 p611-22 Nov-Dec 1991 - ERIC #: EJ436461 - Abstract: A brief narrative
description of the journal article, document, or resource. Reviews the literature
on children’s retraction of their disclosure of having been sexually abused. The
evidence indicates that very few lied originally. The circumstances that underlie
recantation, including false allegations, secrecy, denial, lack of support,
pressure to recant, societal attitudes, and intervening events, are discussed, and
suggestions for mitigating them are offered.
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal;jsessionid=JwfdTd5V4T6qY4phJJxhtp5Q21
YtbyrvJwgCj7vHJK3nkQvnPz3p!-
383582632?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=%22Rieser+Margaret%22&ERICExtSear
ch_SearchType_0=au&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900019b80147b75&accno=EJ4364
61&_nfls=false

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