Allegations of Sexual Abuse in NZ
	False Allegations - Index Opinion and Comment - 2005
	The Press July 7 2005 Falsely accused Letter to the Editor by Paula Weir, Rolleston Twice in less than a month two young men have been acquitted of charges of rape that were laid maliciously. One was a 31 year old with two small children from Dunedin, the other an 18-year-old from Rotorua. These cases barely gained a mention in the media, a stark contrast to if they had been found guilty. Falsely accused suffer humiliation, loss of income, acute and post traumatic stress, estrangement from loved ones, violations of trust as there are many who will never believe their innocence, and a lifelong fear of being alone with anyone, including family members, of the opposite sex. Many of the falsely accused have young families, who are subjected to the same shameful stigmas. It is time we lost the hypocrisy in our society, and if a person is found guilty of laying such damaging charges they should serve the sentence the falsely accused would have had to serve. However, in the case of those with psychiatric disabilities, the person/people who helped instigate these claims should be held morally and financially culpable.