Do Compensation Schemes Fuel False Rape Allegations?

[webmoo]

Hi Val and kitty,

Val - If you wish, I can add a "don't know" option to the poll without affecting the previous votes.

Kitty - Yes, your comments should probably belong in the other thread. Whilst I could move them, that would leave this thread looking a bit discontinuous, so, could I ask you to please post them again in the other thread?
http://www.broadcaster.org.uk/invision_for...p?showtopic=203

Thanks!

[val lavender]

Hi WM

I think that a "dont know" option would be good.


Regards

[maria]

hi all with the amount of peeps that look at the pages should want to vote i don't understand why they can't or wont

[webmoo]

Ok, I have now added a 'don't know' option to the poll.

One point of note - the number of people reading the thread is a bit less than the number of views - if you look at the thread, then look at it again the next day, it will register as another viewing - they aren't all unique people. However, that said, the views currently stand at 680, so that's still a lot of unique visitors.

[matey]

Hi Maria - I believe that people may not vote because

1.they are not in that area of fighting to prove the innocence of a falsely accused person or looking for reasons why they have been falsley accused

2. Maybe they don't have the strength to agree to examine another way foreward and are reticent in signing in

3. Maybe they are people who have been falsely accused of other abuse, and the question does not apply to them. but the question has given them ideas.

Would Valavender consider adding another box, for those 'falsley accused of other abuse allegations?' or would it water down your original intent?

We should be at least be asking questions of the CICB both in England, Scotland and Ireland. (Thats to encourage David of FAAS). It can be done through MP's and MSP's

Matey

[maria]

hi all i still feel that they should vote it all helps especialy as it could happen to them one day,( i really hope not ) how are we suppose to get the law changed if no one is prepared to help? they could also vote anonymously x

[Rights Fighter]

I know that there are some sort of statistics with regard to Germany in the late 1990's: that when they substituted financial compensation for top notch therapy for those who are genuinely abused, allegations dropped by over 90%. I understand Canada did the same, with the same sort of result.

Unfortunately I don't know the official source for this info. Maybe somebody who has time to research this could find the correct figures from an official source? That way we would have something to present to the Government that would actually make sense, rather than just "talk".

[maria]

I know that there are some sort of statistics with regard to Germany in the late 1990's: that when they substituted financial compensation for top notch therapy for those who are genuinely abused, allegations dropped by over 90%. I understand Canada did the same, with the same sort of result.

i feel they should bring the same law into this country....

[Hoobaloo]

I've just joined. I'm accused of Sexual Assault. I voted 'yes' because I believe that in the police's 'trawl' operations, the lure of easy money is difficult for people that already may have criminal histories to resist.

If you are a caring, humanitarian person, as most people are, it is almost unthinkable to accept that people can cooly destroy the lives of other people without their consciences kicking in to prevent them.

But if there is one thing that we have learnt from the 20th century, humanity is littered with people who will slaughter their one-time friends and neighbours (be it with machetes or gas chambers) on the most trivial of pretexts.

Why do people do these things? Ask a Martian Observer: "Because that's what you do!

So, right-thinking people ask, "Well, why would they say it, if it wasn't true?" and conclude that therefore it must be true. The more outrageous the claim, the more credible it seems on the basis that anything that outlandish cannot be the result of pure invention.

In my own case, I can only think that the lead girl has been excusing her 'horizontal' teenage years to her new-found university friends by claiming he was 'sexually abused' as a child. Namely, by moi. Suddenly, she is forced to put her money where her mouth is and tell the police because she can't field a reason not to. She either sacrifices me or shamefacedly admits that she was 'exaggerating'.

Plausible? Very much so, to me. Where can she lose? If she fails her exams, it's "Poor X - hardly surprising, after what she's been through". A moderate pass, "She would have done so much better without all this" and if she passes with flying colours they can say, "She's really done very well, considering..."

And the chance of money (bye-bye, student loans), the attention, the notoriety.

I voted yes, because I believe it to be true, but I think it is only part of the story. To illustrate: Jane Fonda was on 'Womans' Hour' a couple of weeks back. She was saying how she found out that her mother had been abused and went on to say about the tremendous 'sexual energy' abused women have and how they 'pass it on' to their children. She almost made it sound desirable! This year's Must-Have. Sexual abuse as a fashion accessory? And for each avant garde miss, there's some poor sucker going through hell.

There must be a whole catalogue for reasons over and above money and it is the cumulative effect that is the deciding factor.

Comments, please.

[val lavender]

Hi H

if you go to the newsroom of the JGC section of WWW.Kotae.com the reasons given there, by women who make false rape allegations are fascinating.

As we speak I am dealing with a case where a woman who cried rape actually filled in the CICA paperwork, signed and dated it, nine days before she bothered to go to the police. It would seem that it tool a prompt from the CICA to remind her to do this.

All charges against the man she accused have now been dropped but we are now trying tp persuade Greater Manchester Police that perverting the course of justice is still a crime in the UK.

The motivation of false accusers is an area that the Home Office are desperate NOT to commision reasearch into as it would upset the likes of Liz Kelly, Linda Regan, Betty Moxan et al.

Welcome to the real world.


Regards

[Rachel]

Hi All,
I'm a rape surivour myself and I do have to agree here that I think the money can have some influnce on false allegations being made. When I raped my rape to the police, all I wanted was justice and for this man to be kept away from women. (this never went to court, there wasn't enough edvience but have recently found out the police never did a full investigation, key people were not interviewed). Had I been offered compensation I would not have taken it, to me it would feel like I was being paid for sex, even though I didn't want it. From speaking to a lot of people who have been through raped, many feel like myself the money isn't wanted. I feel that the money which is given as compensation should be put to better use by offering more support to people for have been raped and those falsely accused. I had to go private to see a councellor, as the NHS councellor was going to take three months before I could see her, if I had waited to see her, I don't think I'd be here today. But now I've had to stop the private sessions, because I can no longer afford it.
So what I'm saying is this money should be put to better use and there will be times when compensation should be given, but if it turns out to a false allegation, the person SHOULD pay it back and see the effects it has on those they have accused and those who have been Raped. It brings myself a lot of distress when people make the allegations, they go to press then you find out they are unture.
Sorry to go on. Hope this makes sense.

[sue1947]

Hello Rachel,

My heart goes out to you hun on your rape ordeal, my son was falsely accused by a woman who only wanted publicity and money, she got ?11,000, i know what you mean about the police, if they had done their jobs right, my son would not have spent 4 years in prison.

He is now waiting for his appeal dates to come through, my heart goes out to all the genuine women that have been raped and yes i agree with u the money should go to people like yourself that need help for counselling as the way the NHS is run i think its unfair to make you wait several months to get an appointment when u need it straight away to help you get over the terrible ordeal.

I also agree with you about the paying the victims of false allegation but my son would say no to it and ask for it to be sent to organisations that helped him through this like FASO and HAAP (Historical Abuse Appeals Panel) who are helping him with his appeal.

I hope and pray you get over this ordeal and are able to get your life back on track as best as you can i know it wont be easy.

If you need to chat at all my e-mail address is s_gilchrist6@hotmail.com, just e mail ok.


Regards

Sue

[Ashley]

Hello All,

Sorry again about the long absence. Dropped in to say Hi and see if I have anything useful to offer:

Are false allegations fuelled by the potential for compensation is the topic.


There are many who will say doubtless, but dealing solely with false allegations of adult sexual assault and rape the studies I have uncovered suggest financial gain is not a primary motive.

In 1988 a Professor Eugene Kanin of the University of West Lafayette conducted a 3 year study into the prevalence of false allegations of adult rape. Unsurprisingly a demonstrable figure of 28% was produced, there was however very strong evidence to suggest 40% were false. These figures held in a subsequent study (within the military) conducted by a US Air Force Special Investigator, whose name escapes me at the moment.

I did get in touch with Eugene Kanin, now retired, to ask the very question, What were the motives?

It would seem that a follow-up team interviewed some 300 odd women who had made false claims of assault, not only did they admit the false claim but there was irrebuttable evidence to demonstrate the falsity. The motives fell into 3, virtually equal groups, Revenge, Alibi and Attention seeking. Financial gain was not a prime mover.

I do now know in own case it was most definately a combination of Alibi and attenton seeking.

Regards Ashley

[karen]

You only have to look at the flood of false accusations made against people in the public domain to see that the offer of compensation encourages these lies. Even in cases where they do not reach conviction there is still money to be made from the "Kiss and tell" route - La Manga being a recent example.

I do however agree with the previous post that it is not the only reason behind a false accusation, but surely we should try to at least reduce these false claims by taking money out of the equation.

[maria]

hi karen how right you are but the way this country is run it will always stay there ....... there will always be false allegations as well as rape it will get to a stag again where people who have genuinly been raped will not be forth coming because of all this with the pot. they will feel they will get the same treatment as false accusers is a bloody shame but it will never change x