Children must feel safe to disclose abuse - 07-05-09
Sir, A false allegation of a crime that results in a conviction is a grave injustice.
Mr Hannon suffered such an injustice in 1997. The guilty conviction and suspended sentence must have had far reaching and traumatic effects on Mr Hannon's life. It is clear that questions remain unanswered regarding the unwarranted delay in addressing this miscarriage of justice.
The SAVI Report, 2002, states that where an abuser is known to a child and is a non-family member, the figure for abuse by a neighbour is very similar for both boys and girls at 18.9% and 21.5% respectively. In overall abuse cases, neighbours can account for a significant percentage of sexual abuse against children.
This means that children in Ireland will at times disclose abuse by a neighbour. As with many other forms of sexual abuse, there will often be no further evidence available, other than the statement made by the child.
Dr Jan Jordan is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology. In 2004 she examined cases of rape that the complainant said were false. Certain notable features emerge in her data. Firstly, no case was malicious or vengeful.
Indeed, "most of the cases studied were more likely to arise from wrongful interpretations by third parties, which were most speedily resolved by the investigating officers".
This for example included situations where a concerned parent assumed an assault to have taken place, when in fact on further examination it had not. Secondly, in over half of cases it was not the complainant's decision to contact the police. Someone else contacted the police, or pressured the complainant to do so.
In light of this research, a situation where someone makes a false allegation for malicious reason, without the involvement of a third party, without any pressure from a third party, that did not come to light during an investigation, would be a highly exceptional situation. Such a situation would be very far removed from the norm.
As we continue to learn about sexual violence, it is important that we continue to create an environment where children can feel safe to disclose abuse. False allegations remain the exception. False allegations which result in convictions are highly exceptional.
Yours,
Fiona Neary,
Executive Director,
Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI),
The Halls, Quay Street, Galway.
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