It’s unusual for those working to safeguard people from abuse to admit that false accusations can happen. Jennifer Schwirzer writing on an American site ‘Christian Post’ has been working for 7 years in Project Safe Church. The project states that ‘we train leaders and constituents to recognize and respond to abuse reports, and empower survivors to take appropriate action’.
However it also recognizes that false accusations of abuse occur and also says in its mission statement that ‘ we strive to alert and protect the innocent, aid victims on their path to healing, promote education and awareness, investigate the credibility of reported abuse, prevent false accusations, collaborate with trusted leaders for necessary action, and ensure accountability for all’.
Jennifer has experienced sexual assault personally and has heard over a 100 reports of abuse in a church context. However, she has found that, in her words, ‘a very small minority’ of complainants are deliberately lying, and there is another category of complainant who may have misinterpreted the actions of the alleged perpetrator. As she says ‘sometimes reporters have misinterpreted or exaggerated innocent actions into abuse’.
Unfortunately, in FACT’s experience, those with a responsibility to safeguard believe that false accusations are extremely rare or don’t happen at all. The recent controversy over historical abuse within the Church of England has led to a call for an independent safeguarding organization. This organization would be monitored by another independent body. A system for monitoring safeguarding teams would be welcome, but my fear is that such oversight would only exist to make sure that they were helping as many ‘victims’ as possible rather than acting justly and investigating complaints without fear or favour. Safeguarding professionals need to be more even handed and open to the possibility that a complainant is mistaken or lying.
Who watches the watchmen?
‘Who watches the watchers?’ is a translation of the Latin phrase ‘quis custodiet ipsos custodes?’. This of course refers to the perennial problem of regulating the actions of those in a position of power.
I have not been able to find evidence of any regulatory body for safeguarding professionals, such as those that exist for doctors, dentists, solicitors and many other professionals. Those responsible for safeguarding exist to protect innocent people from harm, but sadly in our experience, too often they cause harm. A person who has been investigated by a safeguarding person can be suspended from their job and suffer damage to their reputation without even having been investigated by the police. If they have been investigated and not charged or convicted, from the safeguarder’s point of view they can be treated as if they were guilty anyway. They will be unlikely to be able to appeal against any decision made against them.
Other professions that have the power to have such drastic and long lasting effects on someone’s life are subject to oversight and regulation and have to reach nationally recognized standards before they can practise. The same degree of regulation of standards is needed for those whose role is safeguarding. Until such a regulatory body exists the falsely accused will continue to be subject to life changing decisions without any recourse to justice whatsoever.
1 comment
Name withheld
It’s really BAD that people can be basically presumed guilty just because Someone else accused them of something . It’s no different to me than the Salem Witch trials. So anyone with a grudge can point a finger call police give a good performance be believed, give a statement lying through their back teeth and the police BELIEVE them , they fall for their lies and then go after an INNOCENT person putting them through pure hell all the time the police try to build a case looking for Anything to back up the complainant’s version , whilst they call them a Victim and the person who they accused is labelled the Accused or Defendant or villain. And they say false accusations are extremely rare? Thats not true at all. What’s rare is for the accuser to be found out! Because no one’s looking at them, then in the extremely RARE event that they are found out to be lying for them then to be punished. That’s what’s EXTREMELY RARE! …..
The current justice system stinks and it needs changing NOW. ONE innocent person being put through this pure torture is ONE too many. No ONE person should be able to accuse another unless theres actual proof, not just say so. Also, introduce lie detector tests like they have in America. And stop the Cash payouts.
Police are supposed to be about justice, finding out the truth, not becoming judge jury and executioner because they believe the person who’s made a complaint. Some people are good liars good deceivers, good actors. Police may believe they are a good judge of whether someones lying or not, which in some cases they may be, but it only takes ONE time they believe a complainant and they are fooled by him or her. Imagine if its you who’s been falsely accused of a horrific disgusting crime that you did not do, and no one believes you. You’re treated like a criminal, family and friends distance themselves from you. The person who’s made the false accusation is laughing knowing they’ve fooled everyone except you, because you know they are lying. But they don’t care.
They don’t give a damn what happens too you. And they are treated like victims, getting all the sympathy and special treatment. They are not arrested, not finger printed, not photographed, not put in a cell, not interrogated, they aren’t on bail, they aren’t named. If it goes to court, their identity is sheilded, and they can get money if the poor person they’ve accused gets found guilty of something they didn’t do!
And dont think well there must be proof! Wrong! The accuser’s statement is counted as evidence by itself, and if they get someone to also lie for them, usually a friend or family member, that’s all they need. Do you think thats fair? Or right? And it does happen.
The LAW needs URGENTLY changing, not later or in due course. It needs changing NOW, before someone else’s life is totally ruined by a spiteful person with a grudge, or someone who just lies for the sympathy, or for whatever else reason they might have. Even if someone’s put under police investigation, don’t think for a second “Oh well they weren’t charged – it resulted in a NFA so no harm done”, because the harm done was great.
The mental harm done to that person was huge; relationships can be damaged forever. And they can be traumatised by what they were put through. Some think of suicide, some commit suicide because the trauma the stress is too much to bear and cope with.
People lose jobs, homes, lose contact with their children or grandchildren. The damage is huge.
Then they are talked about. Rumours of they got away with it spread, they have to move house which they can’t afford.
IS ANY OF THAT FAIR TO YOU?
I know there are proper victims. I also know there are people who’ve been falsely accused, there MUST be a balance of justice done to protect both the falsely accused and the actual victims.
The LAW urgently needs to be changed.
Also one last thing, IF someone is found guilty but maintains their innocence in prison, because they ARE innocent but found guilty because of a miscarriage of justice, they should be kept safe whilst in prison and away from other people and not punished for saying “I’m innocent” when they are up for parole. But …don’t go after the innocent people or convict them in the first place.
Fix the broken system.
[Comment slightly edited for clarity]