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The Dominion
Friday August 18, 1995
Many Sex Abuse Memories False
Goodyear-Smith, F.
an Auckland Medical School
research fellow studying families in which members have made sexual abuse
allegations on the basis of recovered memory.
A movement, well-intentioned, to help people who have been sexually abused
and protect women and children from sexual harm, has become grossly
perverted.
In particular, this is a dogma that women and children "must always be
believed", and that false allegations are very unlikely to occur.
Much of the philosophy and protocols of reforms introduced in the eighties to
correct the inadequacy of sexual assault detection and management was
imported from the United
States. Unfortunately, some very faulty
assumptions underpin the sexual abuse field. There is now overwhelming
evidence that along with dealing with genuine abuse, unscientific and often
misguided investigative and therapeutic practices have created large numbers
of false allegations, seldom recognised by workers in the field.
Overseas "experts" on the workshop-lecture circuit are brought to New Zealand
and disseminate this pseudoscience and pop psychology. The use of protocols
and techniques that inadvertently lead women and children to believe they
have suffered sexual trauma when these events never occurred can be seen to
be a new form of abuse.
Studies, figures and statistics are used to "prove" whatever stand
is wanted, and there is a particular reluctance in this area for such figures
to be challenged professionally. The broadening of definition of "sexual
abuse" and the dissemination of misleading statistics regarding its
prevalence has resulted in society moving from never believing in the
phenomenon to a climate of hypersensitivity and hysteria. This has inevitably
contributed to the escalation of false claims of abuse.
Concepts of victim advocacy and "gender feminists" ideology have
gravely undermined the principles of justice and commitment to scientific
methodology. The basic forensic evidence-gathering principles of objectivity
and neutrality have been seriously compromised by therapeutic practices of
validating and supporting clients. Growing public awareness of these
unscientific practices may result in efforts to deal with genuine abuse being
compromised by widespread loss of credibility in our services.
A chief concern is that this field is not open to challenge: there is only
orthodoxy or heresy. Suppression of information, fuelled by a political
agenda to effect social change, inhibits the individual's free access to
knowledge on which to make informed decisions. In the process, lives are
devastated and families torn apart.
Despite recent papers written by eminent scholars and professionals
addressing current knowledge about "memory repression" and about
ways in which children's testimony may be contaminated, sexual abuse trainers
appear to have no interest in distributing information indicating that false
allegations are a significant and real problem. Commonly, any challenging
voice is dismissed as a "pro-abuse backlash". Education about
issues of false allegations is hampered by the entrenched interests of
professional groups claiming to be the only authority on child sexual abuse.
While caution is now being preached with regard to suggesting sexual abuse to
clients, both local and international "experts" continue to endorse
the validity of recovered memories and suggest that false allegations are
rare.
The three areas where false allegations are likely to occur are in the child
access and custody disputes; when adults recover memories of childhood abuse
not previously remembered, especially when hypnosis-like "memory
recovering techniques" have been used; and when a child who initially
denies abuse undergoes investigation and interrogation on the basis of adult
suspicion that abuse has occurred.
The latter situation includes preschool children in childcare centers making
multiple bizarre allegations of horrendous abuse.
I have documentation of several hundred New Zealand cases of alleged
allegations, with roughly equal numbers in each categories. In the
Christchurch Civic Creche case, 20 children came to make accusations of
perverted sadistic torture, including satanic abuse, against many adults,
including the entire staff of the centre. The similarity of this case with a
number of North American childcare cases (in which all defendants were found
not guilty or have had their convictions overturned on appeal) is staggering.
The original complaint stemmed from a comment made by a boy whose mother
worked in the sexual abuse field and who interpreted his statement to mean he
had been sexually abused by childcare worker Peter Ellis.
He did not later disclose abuse but his comments set the scene for parents,
health professionals and investigators to suspect widespread abuse in the
creche.
This initiated the process of sexual abuse "education" and
interrogation that ensued, resulting in allegations involving tunnels,
satanic "circles", perverted acts such as inserting sticks and
needles in vaginas and anuses, eating faeces, drinking urine and making
pornography.
A generation of children is growing up to view the world as a malevolent
place where no one can be trusted in case they molest you, and adults are
increasingly fearful that gestures of comfort or affection may be
misconstrued by children as sexual abuse.
"Abuse protection programmes" have been introduced from preschool
to secondary school. Many children first learn about sex in terms of socially
abhorrent deviant behaviour, something wrong, dangerous, hurtful or illegal.
Giving this type of information to children without teaching them about their
bodies and about developing adult sexuality in the framework of loving,
mutually satisfying relationships, may prevent normal development of
childhood sexuality with devastating effects at maturity.
Because of the potential for serious repercussions, allegations should not be
made lightly, and investigations should be pursued scientifically and
objectively. Before intervention we must take care that first we do no harm.
Dr Goodyear-Smith holds the 1995 Glaxo Foundation fellowship enabling her to
distribute information about repressed memory theory to New Zealand post-graduate societies.
Last month she presented a paper to the International Forum for Child
Protectors and Clients in Holland.
Dr. Goodyear-Smith is also the author of the book: "First Do No
Harm". Dr. Felicity Goodyear-Smith should be able to be contacted c/o
the Auckland Medical
School, Auckland, New Zealand.
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