False Child Abuse Accusations

The rise of false accusations of abuse in child custody proceedings attorney staten island is very disturbing. Courts often choose to "err on the side of caution," and refuse to grant custody to the accused parent. Sometimes, the accused parent cannot even obtain parenting time (child visitation), even after investigation finds no evidence of abuse.

Making a false abuse allegation is a horrible thing to do to a child. The child will often have to undergo unnecessary and intrustive medical and psychological examinations. If the allegations are of sexual abuse, the physical examinations of the child can be extremely embarrassing to the child. Also, depending upon the circumstances and the age of the child, the false accusations can cause a permanent rift between the child and the accused parent, the accusing parent, or both.

Historically, parents who complained of false accusations were ignored. However, recent studies illustrate how common false allegations are. In Ontario, an analysis of child abuse allegations attorney staten island in the Ottawa area revealed that 60% of accusations of abuse were related to marital breakup, and in two thirds of those cases there was no evidence of any abuse.

It is no longer professionally reasonable for a psychologist to presume the truth of abuse allegations made in the context of divorce. The irresponsibility of parents who make false accusations to hurt their spouse, or to stop a child custody action attorney staten island, has caused grave harm to children who actually are abused -- the significant numbers of false allegations make it less likely that true allegations will be believed.