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This page last updated July 17 2007
2007-0717 - Waugh - Psychotherapy
fails New July 17 2007
Tested against the rigours of scientific method and basic common sense,
psychotherapy fails. Its cornerstone is delving into client histories,
looking for reasons why they became anxious, depressed, psychotic or
obsessive. Without corroborative evidence of client narratives, that is a
fatally flawed process.
2007-0626 - Waugh - Hold her
peace
Matt Philp surely stirred a bit of a hornet's nest with his article (June 23)
on Prof Freda Briggs, an Australian academic who was sternly criticised for
making comments about sexual abuse matters in New Zealand that were
seen by some as misleading.
2007-0424 - Waugh -
Rape misinformation
Rape Crisis is again misinforming the public about rape. In recent months, Dr
Kim McGregor and others from that group have made claims which go
unchallenged and unjustified. Those claims include teaching in High Schools
that "1 in 3 girls" and "1 in 6 boys" will be raped or
sexually abused. The studies they cite are methodologically and factually
flawed, and therefore reached false conclusions.
2007-0416 - Waugh -
Police deserve pat on back
Police deserve a hearty pat on the back for their handling of the
"rapist in a suit" case. They diligently and impartially examined
the evidence both for and against the allegation, studied the complainant,
employed healthy scepticism, and correctly concluded the allegation was false
2006-0926 - Waugh -
Primary teachers - common sense
I applaud and welcome the common sense shown by the Primary Teachers Union in
reversing its earlier policy of not comforting or touching children in their
care. The earlier policy stemmed from public hysteria driven by deliberate
misinformation about sexual abuse and by the debacle of the Peter Ellis
convictions. It is simply not true that "a paedophile lurks behind every
bush", or that "one in four girls will be sexually abused"
2006-0601 - Waugh - Talk
therapy
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Margaret Bowater's
justification of psychotherapy (May 25, refer
below) is seriously misleading. A few years ago there were no talk
therapists. Now their Associations claim 3,000 psychotherapist and counsellor
members. There are many others. Any citizen may offer talk therapy to the
public for payment and profit. However, their Emperor never had any clothes
2006-0426 - Waugh -
Historical rape allegations
An Australian federal judge has described our sex trials to a T. The fact is
that our Evidence Act was amended to remove (only from sex trials) the
time-honoured requirement to provide corroboration and the mandatory judicial
warning about the dangers of convicting on the basis of uncorroborated
testimony
2006-0122 - Waugh -
Wrongful convictions
Sir Thomas Thorp's report on wrongful convictions is most welcome. Wrongful
convictions readily arise in cases of a sexual nature where the prosecution
relies on the uncorroborated word of a complainant. Some complaints are
decades old, when no other evidence could possibly be available.
2005-0926 - Waugh - Mind messing New July 17 2007
Antony McFelin, President of the NZ Association of Counsellors, gave an almost
euphoric justification of sexual abuse counselling (Oct 1) but his claim that
treatment for sexual abuse trauma is “evidence-based” is incorrect. ACC’s “Therapy
Guidelines” make it clear that counselling is “abuse-focused” not “evidence-based”.
It is elementary that allegations of abuse are not proof of abuse.
2005-0117 - Waugh - ACC Services
by Gordon Waugh - ACC has lost whatever marbles it began with. While it
literally chucks taxpayer funds at sexual abuse claimants, it proposes to
reduce costs by cutting the number of helicopters it uses in rural areas.
Those machines are vital in saving lives of accident victims, and also
provide emergency capacity when disaster strikes. With little or no
justification, ACC spent $27 million last year on sex abuse claimants
2005-0112 - Waugh - ACC Services
by Gordon Waugh - ACC proposes to reduce costs by cutting the number of
helicopters it uses in rural areas. Those machines are vital in saving the
lives of accident victims, and also provide emergency capacity when disaster
strikes. But in the same breath, ACC literally chucks taxpayer funds away in
other directions. With little or no justification, ACC spent $27 million last
year on sex abuse claimants
2005-0106 - Waugh - ACC
compensation
by Gordon Waugh - ACC compensation was never meant to be a Lotto prize, but
is now! ACC has disclosed it paid more than 800 people a one-off compensation
payment. Many are sexual abuse claimants. Nearly 50 were given
more than $100,000 each, and at least 130 are receiving an annual salary of
$95,000 a year through the ACC's weekly compensation scheme
2004-1120 - Dominion Post - Fetid
swamp of nonsense
by Gordon Waugh - was delighted to read Dr Ian Goodwin's comment about
psychosis and sexual abuse (Nov 13-14). It was a breath of clean, fresh air
in the fetid swamp of the nonsense spouted by self-appointed sex abuse
"experts". For far too long, many clinical psychologists,
psychotherapists and counsellors have been allowed to mislead the public with
an astonishing barrage of false information, statistics and theories about
sexual abuse. They shun science, evidence and facts, relying on belief,
assumption and ideology.
2004-0627 - Sunday Star Times - Sex
abuse scams
by Gordon Waugh - Quite rightly Frank Haden commented on the stupidity of ACC
compensation for sexual abuse claims ("Reality check needed for sex
abuse compo", June 20). It is a colossal scam, costing hundreds of
millions of dollars in recent years. The physical injury scheme has been
perverted by ideology to include "mental injury" arising from
alleged sexual crime
2004-0614 - NZ Herald - ACC and
sex abuse
by Gordon Waugh - ACC payments for alleged sexual abuse are an unjustifiable
and expensive swindle, costing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in
recent years……Incredibly, claimants are not required to provide proof of
alleged abuse. Counsellors uncritically believe that client narratives are
historically and factually correct. ACC believes the myth that counsellors
can determine whether sexual crimes were committed, without external
investigation or the involvement of the police and the Courts. On this
bizarre basis, ACC has received about 100,000 claims.
2003-1030 - Dominion Post -
Justifying expenditure
by Gordon Waugh - Your article headed ACC may not chase false sex payouts
(Oct 22) illustrates well the naive and irresponsible attitude of ACC to
sexual abuse claims. ……..ACC says it "would definitely pursue people who
had lied about being sexually abused to get ACC payouts. But those thinking
they had been abused, who later realised they had not, would not necessarily
have to refund the money". If ACC can't distinguish between true and
false claims, how would it know if a complainant lied? Is it sufficient for
claimants to merely "think they were abused"?
2003-0922 - Waugh -
Problems with sex abuse experts
New July 17 2007
Some major problems with “sex abuse experts” are their determination to find abuse
whether or not it exists, their presumption of guilt, their failure to seek
alternative common sense explanations for childhood behaviours, and their
failure to find testable facts. Opinion, belief and assumption are not
substitutes for facts. While some cases present obvious markers of sexual
activity, the vast majority rely on the “Her Word Against His” format and
many are proven false. As difficult as it might be, the only reliable way to
determine if sexual abuse occurred is through corroborative evidence
2003-0809 - NZ Herald -
Congratulations to Diana Wichtel
by Gordon Waugh - Congratulations to Diana Wichtel for her clear insight into
the Ellis conviction and for her courage to constructively criticise that
shameful affair.The Christchurch Creche case is virtually identical to scores
of others overseas. With few exceptions, those convictions have since been
quashed by appellate courts because the beliefs, assumptions and interrogation
methods used were unreliable, unsafe and fatally flawed
2003-0806 - Waugh - I
congratulate Barry Colman
I congratulate Barry Colman on his courage to actually do something about the
conviction of Peter Ellis. Despite Phil Goff's ostrich-like stance, the call
for a Royal Commission is appropriate sensible, and welcome. At the very
least level, the Commission's Terms of Reference must require it to
investigate matters surrounding the methods used by counsellors to derive
"evidence of abuse", their automatic presumption of guilt, the
reliability of such evidence, how and why it was selectively filtered, the
systemic flaws in the ACC system, and the extensive amendments and additions
to Section 23 of the Evidence Act,
2003-0806 - Dominion Post -
There, but for the grace of God, go I
by Gordon Waugh - Your article "Old evidence with a new spin" is a bit
off the beam ! The call for a Royal Commission to investigate matters
surrounding the conviction of Peter Ellis has little to do with his guilt or
innocence. It is focused on the methods used by counsellors to derive
evidence, their automatic presumption of guilt, the reliability of such
evidence, how and why it was filtered, the systemic flaws in the ACC system,
and the extensive amendments to Section 23 of the Evidence Act
2003-0804 - ZB Talkback - The
Toddlers Testimony
by Gordon Waugh -
* No legislation exists to control the
provision or quality of counselling services to the public
* Section 23AB of the Evidence Act was introduced, without good reason, to
remove the requirement for corroboration in sexual cases
* ACC methods encourage false claims of abuse
Despite Phil Goff's ostrich stance, a Royal Commission of Inquiry is needed
to sort this mess out
2003-0704 - NZ Herald - The Ellis
case
by Gordon Waugh - Two simple facts underlying this case are that no physical,
material or medical evidence of abuse was produced at trial, and the
prosecution relied on interpretations of the children's stories by so-called
"experts".
2003-0608 - Sunday Star Times -
Funding a disgrace
by Gordon Waugh - Frank Haden’s satirical piece on Rape Crisis funding was
excellent. For a moment, he almost had me convinced. And then I remembered
their origins, ideology, tactics, misinformation, false
"statistics" on rape and incest, and how they demonised men,
especially fathers, in their annual extravaganzas
2003-0318 - NZ Herald - Dr
Read's latest flight of imagination
by Gordon Waugh - Dr John Read's latest flight of imagination links
hallucinations in psychiatric patients to childhood abuse and purports to
compare abused and non-abused patients. He claims that nearly half of the 200
community mental health clients studied had been abused sexually or
physically. Why didn't your health reporter ask the critical question
"Where is the proof that they were in fact abused ?"
2002-1103 - Sunday Star Times - Sex
Obsession
by Gordon Waugh - I must thank Rosemary McLeod for her most enjoyable column
(October 27). Reading it, I almost had an epileptic fit. The nation is
obsessed with sex. Obsessions are unhealthy. Childbirth is obviously
dangerous and unsightly. We must take immediate action to prohibit sex and
childbirth….
2002-1028 - Waugh - Promoting
witch hunts New July 17 2007
In one short letter, (Oct 26) Dr John Read has encapsulated the very essence of
the mind-set that fosters and promotes witch-hunts - ad hominem argument, ignorance,
distortion, sophistry, irrationality and belief. His attack on Ms Hood is
appalling....................... Peter Ellis’ conviction illustrated serious
systemic faults which led to a farcical and tragic miscarriage of justice.
There never was any medical, forensic or other credible evidence of sexual
abuse but there was, and is, hysteria. The faults and the hysteria remain.
Despite Dr Read¹s drivel, they must be fixed
2002-1009 - peterellis.org -
Response to Read and Katene
by Gordon Waugh - Dr Read's petulant, distasteful ad hominem attack and the
misguided comments by Kaylene Katene, (Refer below) ignore the facts about
mental illness. There is no known causal link between childhood sexual abuse
and any specific psychiatric or psychological condition. When they do occur,
the effects of sexual abuse are idiosyncratic and unpredictable
2002-1005 - peterellis.org -
Response to Read
by Gordon Waugh - More than a third of the Auckland District Health Board's
300 clinical staff who deal with adult psychiatric patients are being trained
in how and when to ask patients about childhood sexual abuse, in a bid to
improve treatment. Dr John Read is at the forefront of this unscientific
nonsense
2002-0822 - Western Leader -
Research by Shirley Julich
by Gordon Waugh - The "research" by Dr Shirley Julich on sexual
abuse, reported in your article "Abuse carries steep price", ranks
her high amongst those skilled in breathtaking sophistry. Her study lacks
academic rigour and is outrageously misleading.
2002-0804 - Sunday Star Times - Creche
case New Zealand's shame
by Gordon Waugh - Frank Haden didn't go nearly far enough (July 28) -
Christchurch's shame over the creche case is New Zealand's shame. Worse, it
is parliament's shame. The evidence in Lynley Hood's book is compelling, but
politicians seemingly lack the moral courage to rectify this dreadful
miscarriage of justice. Instead of its deathly silence, the counselling
"profession" must find the honesty to publicly debate the causes.
2002-0324 - Sunday Star Times - Abuse
Humbug
by Gordon Waugh - Fred Seymour is plainly wrong (March 17) when he says it
was "plainly silly" of author Lynley Hood to suggest ACC
counselling could produce recovered abuse memories because "you can't
get ACC counselling until someone else has agreed the person qualifies to see
a counsellor". …..
2002-0317 - Radio NZ - Return of
ACC lump sum compensation for sexual abuse
Transcript of a panel discussion of the ACC scheme. Concluding comments from
Gordon Waugh: At the end of this there
is a huge organisation within ACC, the Sensitive Claims Unit, costing the
taxpayer millions of dollars. The counselling claims also cost many millions
of dollars, and you cannot have that sort of taxpayer funds - any taxpayer
funds - being paid out on the basis that there is no evidence for. You've got
to have some evidence.
2002-0120 - Usenet - ACC
Compensation for Sexual Abuse; Compilation of Data
by Gordon Waugh – Compilation of data from 16 sources and providing overall
summary of claims for sexual abuse
2002-0115 - Western Leader
- Perpetuating Myths
by Gordon Waugh - Your article on summer being dreaded by sex abuse
counsellors (Jan 8) is appalling nonsense which perpetuates the myths,
exaggerations and belief systems on which the sex abuse industry is based.
The claim that only 7.5 per cent of rapes are reported to the police is
ridiculous. It is impossible to know
how many events were NOT reported. They further claim that of reported rapes,
"only 30 per cent go to court, and of those, only 10 per cent result in
a conviction". Rubbish !
2002-0113 - Usenet - ACC Claims for
Sexual Abuse, 1988 to 2001
by Gordon Waugh - Over the 1993 - 1999 period, the average 9,872 per
annum. (claims) In the same period, about 750 would be convicted annually for
sexual crimes. On that basis, ACC
claims are 13 times higher. They have
usurped the function of the Courts, and these figures tend to indicate ACC
has a much more accurate way of deciding whether sexual abuse occurred!!!
2002-0109 - Usenet - ACC's
Handling of Claims for Sexual Abuse
by Gordon Waugh - ACC's handling of claims for sexual abuse is the greatest
con job this nation has ever seen, and the general tenor of my criticism of
ACC and its method is below. This new version of the Act will cause all sorts
of problems. Government predicts the new lump-sum scheme will cost $60M per
annum. That is intended to cover all the forms of accident, but with the
continued (but unwarranted) inclusion of sexual abuse claims, I believe it
will build to much, much more
2001-1215 - NZ Herald -
Psychology standards
by Gordon Waugh - The botched inquiry by psychologist Prue Vincent into a sex
abuse case is just one of many. She has destroyed an entire family, yet is
merely fined lightly and censured. The Psychologists Board could de-register
her but, as it has shown in the past, it lacks the courage to act. That she
is still allowed to practice is scandalous.
2001-1212 - The Dominion -
Botched inquiry result 'typical'
by Gordon Waugh - The botched sex abuse inquiry by psychologist Prue Vincent
illustrates a typical result by "sex abuse experts". Their claims
of "expert" status, privilege and confidentiality are untenable. No
one gave them the right, privilege or authority to decide who wears the
loathsome label of "sex abuser". Their fatally flawed methods lead
directly to false conclusions.
2001-1202 - Sunday Star Times - Inquiry
by Gordon Waugh - A royal commission should review the entire spectrum of the
sex abuse industry, the Evidence Act, the nonsense of allowing
"expert" witnesses and the assault on common sense of not requiring
corroboration
2001-1112 - North and South - They
Got it Wrong
by Gordon Waugh - The Christchurch Civic Creche case began with allegations
of ritual abuse involving several crèche staff and ended with convictions for
sexual abuse against Ellis alone. No physical or forensic evidence, no
corroboration, no testable evidence of genuine abuse was presented by the
prosecution - it relied on fanciful stories wrung from little children by
self-styled "experts" using unsound methodology
2001-1007 - Sunday Star Times -
Justice Denied
by Gordon Waugh - Lynley Hood's new book on the Peter Ellis case crystallises
the problems underlying the sex abuse industry. Ellis and his co-workers were
denied justice to save the reputations of people predisposed to believe
sexual abuse fantasies and conspiracies. A City Possessed provides adequate
reason to exonerate Ellis and return common sense to a justice system misled
by self-appointed experts.
2001-0401 - Sunday Star Times - Sex
experts?
by Gordon Waugh - Congratulations for having the courage to publish an
extract from Lynley Hood's refreshing, accurate and concise essay on the
Peter Ellis case (March 25), exposing the nonsense leading to his conviction.
She correctly noted that alleged experts who claim an ability to distinguish
between true and false allegations of sexual abuse can do nothing of the
sort.
2001-0331 - North Shore Times
- Let Right Be Done
by Gordon Waugh - Congratulations to Pat Booth for his insight into the Peter
Ellis case (March 27). Concerns about Ellis' conviction will not abate until
all the facts are made known. The
Ministerial Inquiry did nothing to expose or examine those facts. Some will
argue that the two "pre-eminent international experts" hired by the
Inquiry have given reliable, expert advice on the testimony of the children,
and that should be the end of the matter. Ellis was not convicted on testable
medical, forensic, physical or documentary evidence. The case turned on the
assumptions, beliefs and opinions of self-appointed "experts" and
their interpretation of the behaviour of young children.
2000-1202 - AFMA (Sydney) -
Presentation by Gordon Waugh
by Gordon Waugh - It's a pleasure to visit you again, and meet up with
friends. The reason I'm here is that John Agnew and Roger Keller suggested it
might be useful for you to compare notes about how we handled the
"recovered memory" fad in New Zealand. As far as we know, there were no reported
cases of "recovered memory" in New Zealand before about 1990, but
when the theory and practice of "Recovered Memory Therapy" was
imported, there were suddenly thousands of cases - an epidemic by anyone's
standards. A decade later, they have
virtually disappeared.
2000-0913 - Victoria
University - Presentation by Gordon Waugh
by Gordon Waugh - Dr Garry asked me to talk to you about "recovered
memories" and left it to me to decide how best to tackle it. My
background is in Physics and Engineering, not Psychology, so I don't speak
your specialised language. I could have come armed with masses of technical
and scientific references and papers, but that would be far too clinical.
What I've chosen to do is to give you a Worm's Eye View, from the perspective
of accused parents, so that you can see first-hand, the human side of the
issues. In this presentation, I'll paint a broad picture of the scene in New
Zealand over the last decade, tell you a little about our personal
experience, and finish by applying an Engineer's reasoning to the theory of
"repression".
2000-0806 - Sunday Star Times - Sex
abuse
by Gordon Waugh - Sexual abuse is a criminal matter demanding the highest
standards of evidence. It must remain wholly in the criminal courts. Opening
a 10-year window for women to sue for alleged historical sexual abuse in
civil courts allows complainants to dodge rigorous examination in criminal
trials. Acceptance of scientifically unfounded or dubious psychological
concepts in civil cases seriously dilutes standards of evidence and shifts
the burden of proof. They are dangerously poor substitutes for testable
evidence in criminal trials
2000-0723 - Sunday Star Times -
Dangers for men in sex law changes
by Gordon Waugh - The Law Commission's opinions on sexual abuse are
unbelievably outdated. Its proposed Limitations Act changes, as they affect
claims for sexual abuse, have horrifying implications for men. One reason
given for change was "repressed memory". No credible scientific
research supports the fanciful notion that women can "repress"
memories of sexual abuse. It has been exposed as dangerous nonsense. The commission's
belief in it is inexcusable.
2000-0613 - North Shore Times -
Taking Issue with views on psychiatric illnesses
by Gordon Waugh - It is cruel, offensive and entirely unprofessional for a
psychologist to claim, or even suggest, that schizophrenia and similar
psychotic disorders are caused by childhood abuse. In your article
"Psychologist discusses effects of child abuse" that is exactly
what Dr John Read has done in his study of psychiatric patients. …………Parents
and families of people suffering with schizophrenia will be distressed and
disgusted to learn that Dr Read continues to promote his unsubstantiated,
daft and odious gospel.
2000-0611 - Sunday Star Times -
Medical checks
by Gordon Waugh - Sandra Coney is now bewailing the effects of the Dr Morgan
Fahey case. She insists on confusing evidence with belief. Her brand of
thinking is quite tiresome. ………The very few women who feel unsafe with a
particular doctor have a range of options. For heaven's sake, take their own
chaperone. Trust the professionalism of the practice nurse. Go to another
doctor. Go only to female doctors. I
seriously doubt the medical profession has "a culture of tolerance towards
abusers". That Fahey pleaded guilty does not mean every GP is likely to
"abuse patients" or has "rape on his mind".
2000-0319 - Sunday Star Times -
Ellis arguments
by Gordon Waugh - For someone with so little genuine knowledge of the Peter
Ellis case, Sandra Coney has a lot to say. Her commentary is ill-informed,
emotive and misleading. It ignores the main issues. Our judicial process is
the heart of our community and we have an inherent right to examine it when
it goes badly awry. Peter Ellis was convicted on the incomplete, imaginative
and uncorroborated testimony of small children, and the opinions of so-called
"experts".
1999-1112 - The Truth - Abuse
claims costing us all
by Maryvonne Gray - Families torn apart by child abuse accusations are being
urged to back a call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into what's been
dubbed the "sex abuse industry". Gordon and Colleen Waugh, who run
Casualties of Sexual Allegations (COSA), say millions of dollars are dished
out for ACC claims each year--on little or no evidence. Gordon Waugh was a
victim of a false abuse complaint which instigated an ACC payment, despite
the police throwing the case out.
1999-0918 - AFMA (Melbourne) -
Presentation by Gordon Waugh
by Gordon Waugh - I want to set the scene for you by telling you a little of
our personal case, give you an insight into the climate of sexual abuse
hysteria in New Zealand, and then describe how COSA fitted into that picture.
'll finish with a few suggestions drawn from that experience. I don't propose
to pull any punches, so I'll speak candidly, and at times bluntly.
1999-0224 - The Dominion - Time for
review
by Gordon Waugh - Your article Critic of false sex-abuse claims to step down
(Feb 2) could mislead those in the sex-abuse industry into a false sense of
security. Casualties of Sexual Allegations is not "in danger of
folding". Felicity Goodyear-Smith's work in Cosa has been instrumental
in drawing attention to sex-abuse counselling malpractice and has brought
about a much needed sense of reality and healthy scepticism
1998-1130 - Waugh - Rape
Crisis credibility New July 17 2007
Rape Crisis credibility finally evaporated with the sheer effrontery of the figures,
definitions and comments backing its incest campaign. It got $30,000 from the
Minister of Social Welfare to promote that orgy of misinformation.............
Funds providers and the public are now awake to the gross exaggerations and fatal
limitations of these inefficient, ineffectual and advocacy-driven sexual
abuse agencies. Much would be gained by having genuine victims treated in
mainstream medical facilities by skilled professionals
1998-1101 - Sunday Star Times -
Compensation for innocence
by Gordon Waugh - Congratulations for your courage and sense of fair play in
making public the facts behind David Dougherty's case. All that evidence was available
at trial, but not used because the prosecution had a mind-set. The Evidence
Act does not demand corroboration, and police policy is to believe every
complainant. These systemic faults combine to encourage complaints. They
create a presumption of guilt and sabotage thorough, neutral and objective
investigation techniques. Dougherty was presumed guilty merely because an
11-year-old girl pointed the finger.
1998-1006 - Waugh - Avid
believers in nonsense New July 17 2007
Read and Seymour particularly, are avid believers in the nonsense of "repressed
memories" of sexual abuse. They now say "The vast majority of abuse
victims remember their abuse from the time of its occurrence." Without
one shred of evidence, memory liposuction by "therapists" has
caused thousands of parents to be falsely accused of committing incest, rape,
indecent assaults, and ritualistic abuse.
1998-0508 - Daily News - Rape
facts, please
by Gordon Waugh - Open debate on sensitive problems is a hallmark of a
healthy society. Detective Sergeant Bryan and Rape Crisis have attacked me
personally for daring to criticise their new sexual abuse booklet. Although
the April 7 report advises that Rape Crisis helped with it, Mr Bryan now
claims that the booklet was a police initiative and no other agency had a
hand in it. Who wrote the book is now largely irrelevant. What matters is its
content. I sternly criticised the booklet because it contains Rape Crisis
myth and misinformation. My concerns lie with the quality and accuracy of the
information
1998-0428 - The Dominion - Claims
not guilt proof
by Gordon Waugh - Detective Sergeant Brett Tomlinson, commenting on the new
police policy for investigating adult sexual assault, condemned his own work
by saying, "Our policy supports victims of offences." Good policy
is based on sound principles, contemporary knowledge, and testable
methodology. This five-page policy ignores the principles of justice and
investigation, and lacks impartiality. From the outset, it calls complainants
"victims". It gives credence to every allegation, and thereby
presumes guilt
1998-0426 - Sunday Star Times - In
support of courts
by Gordon Waugh - Shiver me timbers! Ms Heron prattles on about the recent
naval courts martial, men's unbridled sexuality, Freud's denigrating
perspective of women, and outdated patriarchal institutions. That form of
rhetoric is outmoded and ill-informed. ……..The reason why this serial
accuser's allegations against her 11 colleagues failed to convict them is
simple. She could not produce credible evidence to support her allegations.
There is a vast difference between allegations and evidence. Ms Heron would
have them convicted by accusation alone. That is simply not good enough.
1997-1117 - NZ Herald -
Credibility
by Gordon Waugh - Intimate knowledge of scientific research techniques and
the stern code of neutrality are hallmarks of true professionals. By declaring its support for John Read's
findings about a link between sexual abuse and psychotic disorders, Doctors for
Sexual Abuse Care (DSAC) has again overstepped the boundaries of
professionalism. At issue was, and still is, the credibility of Read's
findings
1997-1102 - Sunday Star Times -
Sexual abuse arguments
by Gordon Waugh - Dr John Read’s "staggering findings" on his
perceived relationship between sexual abuse and psychotic disorders are
better described as "tottering". ……..Dr Read implies that parents
of schizophrenics sexually abused their children. That is cruel, heartless
and offensive.
1997-0920 - The Press -
Counselling
by Gordon Waugh - Comments by Judge Erber about ''inflicting counselling'' on
a six-year-old girl have drawn fire. By putting the value of counselling in
perspective, Judge Erber has brought a refreshing viewpoint to our attention.
Recent research suggests that counselling can be counter-productive and
damaging. Much to the chagrin of counsellors, some who are sexually abused do
not suffer permanent or serious damage
1996-1215 - Sunday Star Times - Rape and
allegations
by Gordon Waugh - Sandra Coney writes much nonsense but excelled herself with
her absurd remarks about rape and Justice Thomas' opinion. They appear to
believe that making false allegations is an "enduring and pernicious
myth". Of course women make false allegations of rape. And when they do,
they are rightly accused of "lying, scheming and manipulating".
Remember Nick Wills and many others in similar predicaments?
1996-1031 - Daily News - A matter
of balance
by Gordon Waugh - Your correspondents …. ask what society wants for sexual
abuse "victims" and their counsellors. We want genuine victims to
be treated competently, compassionately and fairly. …….We want counsellors
working with real professionals to determine whether a client's present
condition is due to historical sexual abuse, pre-existing trauma or
psychological conditions, fabrication, or a mixture of these, before considering
compensation. We want false claims of sexual abuse eliminated. We want
equitable treatment at costs we can afford. We want counsellors to work for
society, not against it. We want counsellors who cannot do this to vacate
their seats on the ACC gravy train.
1996-1016 - Daily News - Protest
too much
by Gordon Waugh - Lorraine Jans has led 18 of Taranaki's ACC-approved
counsellors to howl in protest at ACC's asking for more client
information…….. The lady doth protest too much, methinks. …..That ACC and the
public might lack trust in counsellors' "professional judgment" is
a clear reflection of the sex abuse industry's track record and past
avoidance of accountability. ACC's new requirement is a long overdue
improvement
1996-0912 - Daily News - Sex abuse
statistics
by Gordon Waugh - The unfortunate letter by Lorraine Jans (August 17)
demonstrates my point so clearly: Beware the sex abuse industry. Her
statements are compelling illustrations of the sophistry underlying Rape
Crisis and DSAC attempts at social engineering. ……..Clarity of thought,
commonsense, integrity and scientific credibility have exposed the tragedy of
false allegations and the mendacity of false statistics created by this
noxious "industry". It is time to replace its numerology and
mythology with honest, rational discussion.
1996-0903 - NZ Herald -
Counsellors abuse training full of nonsense
by Greg Newbold and Gordon Waugh - Since 1992, the Mental Health Training
Service at Green Lane Hospital -in Auckland has offered a course entitled
"certificate in sexual abuse counselling - approaches to practice."
An average of 50 people a year complete the training. It is the only
Government-funded course of its type and it has accreditation from the
Qualifications Authority……With Government funding and Qualifications
Authority endorsement, one might expect the course to conform to accepted
standards of science and scholarship. A perusal of the curriculum, supplied
reading material, recommended reference texts and student lecture notes,
however, raises doubt that these standards are being met
1996-0813 - Daily News - Beware of
abuse industry
by Gordon Waugh - Dr Todd was quoted as saying "This roster is
important, because a lot of rape victims who would prefer to be examined by
women are not coming forward." That statement is illogical and misleading.
Must we assume that Dr Todd has a psychic ability denied to the rest of we
mere mortals? How does she know that "victims" are not coming
forward, or that abuse has actually occurred in undisclosed cases?
1996-0811 - Sunday Star Times - Madness
in Ellis case
by Gordon Waugh - A reasoned view of the Ellis case suggests that had the
jury been exposed to the full range of evidence, progression of the
children's stories from ordinary events to impossible, excruciating torture,
would have been obvious. Prosecution credibility and objectivity fell on
their own swords because they ignored commonsense and reason, not because of
Christianity or "standard liberal tactics". Little children were
subjected to repeated interviews over extended periods by misguided, zealous
and poorly trained sex abuse counsellors, who took their belief systems to
extremes to find abuse where none existed. The children are victims of
counselling abuse, not sexual abuse
1996-0804 - Sunday News - Junk
science disgraceful
by Gordon Waugh - Perhaps Dr Miller of the Mental Health Training Service at
Greenlane Hospital has read too many Stephen King novels. His comments about
the taxpayer-funded Sex Abuse Counselling course he runs are humbug. ……Simply
put, there is no excuse for teaching junk science when factual, credible
information exists. When will the Minister of Health and the Auckland CHE put
a stop to this wasteful, disgraceful and unprofessional nonsense?
1996-0421 - Sunday Star Times - Not
tonight, I'm signing
by Gordon Waugh - "Date rape" turns on the issue of consent. Women
who have willingly indulged in sex with their dates sometimes regret it and
later cry rape, claiming that consent was not given. Such claims also have a
high probability of being false. The claim by Rape Crisis and others that
"false allegations of rape are very, very rare" is irresponsible.
1996-0414 - Sunday News -
Distorted tale in rape statistics
by Gordon Waugh - Torture statistics long enough and they'll confess! Doctors
for Sexual Abuse Care (DSAC) recently held a conference in Wellington
entitled "Rape: Ten Years' Progress?" Representatives of Rape
Crisis attended. Both DSAC and Rape Crisis spread misinformation about sexual
abuse. The conference heard and believed the false claims that one in five
women have been raped or suffered attempted rape, that "only about 10
per cent" of "victims" are believed to report their cases to
the police, but only about 1 per cent were ever convicted
1996-0408 - The Dominion - Rape law
reform
by Gordon Waugh - One of the claims made at the Doctors for Sexual Abuse Care
conference was that one in five women has been raped or suffered attempted
rape. The simplest of arithmetic indicates that half our population are
women, and one-fifth amounts to 360,000. At best, that is a flamboyant and
outrageous claim. Many people throughout the country would like to see sex
abuse counsellors made accountable for their work, and would like to see
legislation amended on these issues. They, like me, wish to reinstate balance
and common sense in this emotive area
1995-1231 - Sunday Star Times - False
claims of sexual abuse
by Gordon Waugh - Men falsely accused of sexual abuse have a right to clear
their names of these scabrous allegations, a right to have any relevant
information to defend themselves and to know the identity of their accusers.
Many such allegations arise after adult women have counselling and
"recover memories" of alleged sexual abuse years, decades, earlier.
They claim compensation from ACC. No evidence or corroboration of the alleged
abuse is required. On this basis ACC has paid out more than $600 million to
more than 50,000 women in the last three years or so. Few of these alleged
abusers have been charged, because no evidence of actual abuse exists
1994-1112 - NZ Listener - Accused!
by Noel O'Hare - Abstract: Talks to victims of false memory syndrome, those
who have been falsely accused of sexual abuse by their children. Looks at the
devastating effect on families and queries the authenticity of repressed or
recovered memories.
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