STOP FALSE ALLEGATIONS

Johnny Depp (above left) was falsely accused of domestic violence by Amber Heard in a 2018 Washington Post editorial. As a result, Depp was forced to resign from his high-profile acting roles. After Depp filed a defamation lawsuit, a jury reached a unanimous decision in 2022,  and Heard was forced to pay Depp $1 million for her false accusations.

A false allegation is an accusation that is made in bad faith with the intention of harming the accused person. False allegations are a severe form of domestic abuse that can harm a person’s mental health, damage one’s social standing and career, and even lead to a wrongful conviction. An Ipsos poll conducted in 30 countries found that 55% of persons believe that women who are say they are abused often make up or exaggerate claims of abuse.

Indeed, some feminists openly endorse the use of false allegations. Teen Vogue columnist Emily Lindin once announced, “If some innocent men’s reputations have to take a hit in the process of undoing the patriarchy, that is a price I am absolutely willing to pay.” Of course, the person who pays the price is the person who was wrongfully accused.

To curb the growth of false allegations, lawmakers need to make these changes:

  1. Renounce the so-called “believe the victim” and “trauma-informed” investigations, which bias the investigation and remove the presumption of innocence.
  2. Require hard evidence, not a mere accusation, as proof of abuse.
  3. Increase penalties for false accusers. Examples from the United States:

Proclamations:

International Falsely Accused Day

Falsely Accused Day was first observed in 2020 in the United Kingdom. The September 9th date was selected to honor Simon Warr on what would have been his birthday. Warr had been falsely accused of child abuse. The accusation is believed to have contributed to his demise.

In subsequent years, Falsely Accused Day became an international event:

Surveys of False Allegations

DAVIA has conducted two international surveys of false allegations, to find out what percentage of the adult population has been falsely accused of abuse (domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, or other form of abuse) in their lifetimes. These are the results:

DAVIA Member Organizations

A number of DAVIA member organizations have a sole focus on stopping false allegations:

Books and Reports