The article completely dismisses what is stated by researchers, that 2-8 percent of sexual assault and rape allegations are false.
Yes, and I think given the subject matter, it is important to note that this discussion should be centered around people who are caught actively lying about sexual abuse allegations. There’s a difference between making an accusation that you unfortunately cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt, and actively just spinning allegations from whole cloth. The former is just an unfortunate by-product of our justice system and the high bar required to secure a conviction, and the other is a crime that should be punished.
Is society simply meant to let those 2-8 percent of false reports potentially ruin the lives of the victims of those false allegations?
The problem is that “she’s lying!” is the first go-to defense of any alleged abuser. The other problem is that, at least in the court of public opinion, the victim is to be taken at her word by default, and any attempt to even question the details is often met with fierce, sharp, and severe blowback. Attempt to poke holes in the victim’s story (Even in cases where the details are sketchy at best) will just get you labelled as a victim-blaming bigot.
There should absolutely be severe recourse for attempting to ruin an innocent persons life, for wasting resources and diminishing the likelihood that real allegations are taken seriously.
But there isn’t. Our society has determined that some victims of false rape allegations having their lives ruined is considered the better alternative than putting women in a position where they even think they may be prosecuted for bringing up false charges if they are ultimately unable to prove their case in court. Whether or not that’s fair is a matter of personal opinion, but it is what it is, and the only thing you can do is just hope and pray you never end up on the wrong side of that equation.
There is obviously a problem with how police deal with any sexual assault or rape report but ignoring victims of false allegations and refusing to give them justice won’t solve that.
Again, this is true, but our society as a whole has determined doing anything to alleviate that problem would cause even more victims of sexaul assault to not come forward, which would just end up making the problem worse in the long run. So basically, this is “least shitty option available”. Again, whether you think it’s the best option available is a personal opinion, but it’s what we’ve got to work with, because there is absolutely no real support for protection from false rape allegations at the legislative level, so it’s not going to change any time soon.
Yes, and I think given the subject matter, it is important to note that this discussion should be centered around people who are caught actively lying about sexual abuse allegations. There’s a difference between making an accusation that you unfortunately cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt, and actively just spinning allegations from whole cloth. The former is just an unfortunate by-product of our justice system and the high bar required to secure a conviction, and the other is a crime that should be punished.
The problem is that “she’s lying!” is the first go-to defense of any alleged abuser. The other problem is that, at least in the court of public opinion, the victim is to be taken at her word by default, and any attempt to even question the details is often met with fierce, sharp, and severe blowback. Attempt to poke holes in the victim’s story (Even in cases where the details are sketchy at best) will just get you labelled as a victim-blaming bigot.
But there isn’t. Our society has determined that some victims of false rape allegations having their lives ruined is considered the better alternative than putting women in a position where they even think they may be prosecuted for bringing up false charges if they are ultimately unable to prove their case in court. Whether or not that’s fair is a matter of personal opinion, but it is what it is, and the only thing you can do is just hope and pray you never end up on the wrong side of that equation.
Again, this is true, but our society as a whole has determined doing anything to alleviate that problem would cause even more victims of sexaul assault to not come forward, which would just end up making the problem worse in the long run. So basically, this is “least shitty option available”. Again, whether you think it’s the best option available is a personal opinion, but it’s what we’ve got to work with, because there is absolutely no real support for protection from false rape allegations at the legislative level, so it’s not going to change any time soon.