Survey: False Allegations of Abuse Are a Global Problem, Women Most Often the Accusers

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Mike Buchanan

Telephone: +44 7967 026163

Survey: False Allegations of Abuse Are a Global Problem, Women Most Often the Accusers

March 16, 2023 – Eleanor Williams of Blackpool, England claimed she was brutally assaulted and raped by three men. Her accusations provoked national outrage. But surveillance cameras revealed her injuries were self-inflicted. Earlier this week, Williams was sentenced to eight years in prison (1).

Investigator Doug Marshall assured reporters that “Cases such as this, where someone has invented crimes and concocted evidence, are extremely rare.”

But a newly released international survey suggests false allegations may not be “extremely rare.” Conducted in Europe (United Kingdom, Poland, and Spain), North America (Canada and United States), South America (Argentina), India, and Australia, the survey found that significant numbers of persons in these countries report ever being falsely accused of abuse:

India: 19%
Australia: 10%
United States: 10%
Canada: 8%
Argentina: 7%
United Kingdom: 4%
Poland: 4%
Spain: 4%

Among those who have known someone falsely accused of abuse, the majority said the false accuser was female and the accused person was male (except in Poland where a narrow plurality said the false accuser was male). In most countries (with the exceptions of Canada and the UK), about one-third of those who said they knew someone falsely accused of abuse said the false allegations were made as part of a child custody dispute.

False allegations can have devastating consequences. In the Eleanor Williams case, the accused men were severely ostracized and attempted suicide. False allegations often harm the career of the accused, and can lead to wrongful convictions (2). Used as a tactic in child alienation cases, false accusations have been described as a “weapon of destruction in a family.” (3)

Targets of false allegations are beginning to fight back. In December, Amber Heard agreed to pay Johnny Depp $1 million for making defamatory and false accusations of domestic violence (4).

Survey respondents consist of adults aged 18+ in the following countries: United States (N=1,266), Great Britain (N=2,040), Spain (N=1,084), India (N=1,009), Poland (N=1,001), Australia (N=1,025), Canada (N=1,007), and Argentina (N=1,000). The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults (ages 18+) in each country. Fieldwork was undertaken February 22 – March 14, 2023. The survey was conducted using an online interview administered to members of the YouGov panel of persons who had agreed to participate.

The survey defined domestic abuse as including domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, or other form of abuse. The full survey results can be viewed online (5).

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance urges lawmakers, prosecutors, family judges, and others to work to end the current epidemic of false allegations.

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 75 member organizations from 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and sex-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/coalitions/davia/

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