Lawmakers, Prosecutors, and Judges Must Work Together to Stop Global Epidemic of False Allegations

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Hain

Telephone: +1-513-479-3335

Lawmakers, Prosecutors, and Judges Must Work Together to Stop Global Epidemic of False Allegations

June 12, 2023 – Recent reports reveal false allegations of abuse have reached epidemic levels around the world. But in many cases, the false accuser is never held accountable, despite serious harmful effects to the person falsely accused.

Each of the following incidents were reported during the past week:

Australia: Police dropped charges against Olympic boxer Harry Garside, accused by his girlfriend of domestic violence. The accusations were found to be false after police reviewed a videotape showing his girlfriend to be the aggressor, who also taunted Garside by threatening to “f**k up your reputation.” (1)

England: Amanda Aston was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and fraud by false representation. She had made false allegations of abuse against her partner, who spent two months in prison and lost his job due to her accusations (2).

Spain: Equalities Minister Irene Montero was ordered to pay 18,000 euros to Rafael Marcos for falsely presenting him as an “abuser.” The order was issued by the Civil Chamber of the Spanish Supreme Court (3).

United States: Football player Kade Renfro filed a $1 million lawsuit against his former girlfriend for posting defamatory information about him on Instagram. Renfro believes the woman did this as revenge for ending their relationship (4).

In Argentina, the False Allegations Observatory released a major report revealing that in four out of five cases, “the party making the accusation does not provide more evidence than their own testimony.” The effects of a false allegation are severe, including public shaming, loss of contact with children, and suicide (5).

A recent survey found that large numbers of persons in eight countries around the world report being falsely accused of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, or other form of abuse (6):

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

Even relatively small percentages reveal a serious problem. For example, the 4% number in the United Kingdom represents 2.7 million persons who have been falsely accused of abuse.

On September 9, International Falsely Accused Day will be observed (7). The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance urges lawmakers, prosecutors, and judges to work together to end the current epidemic of false allegations.

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 90 member organizations from 32 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/

Citations: