There are far fewer people making false accusations than there are people deciding not to come forward. That's what a lot of men don't know: the incredibly pervasive nature of harassment and assault. Most men aren't grabbing women against their will, but one pig can harm a lot of women over the years. They rely on the fear and embarrassment of their victims.C-Mag wrote:The first Standard to start with is the accusers need to make a sworn affidavit under penalty of pergery and then file it with a court. That would put this stuff where it belongs, legal court. But we need to seriously look at the standards for conviction as well. Because there are people out there that will make false accusations.MilSpecs wrote:If it's true, then it made bringing him to account more difficult to achieve. IMO someone who lies and thereby enables a criminal in that way should be treated as harshly as the person who committed the crime. He may have harmed dozens of girls. If she lied, she harmed thousands. The most difficult part of any kind of sexual assault is the reality that you probably won't be believed. If Mother Teresa claimed she was groped, someone would say "We don't know because no one else was there." It's in the nature of the crime that there are usually no witnesses and no visible injuries. Just one liar kills any progress made in encouraging kids (of both sexes, BTW) to come forward.C-Mag wrote:
Oh, I agree.
I think Gloria Allred F'd any chances of taking Moore down.
There are men here who believe men are falsely accused at a far greater rate than actually happens, when their own mothers were actually assaulted. Understand that: this is not something that happens to other people's female relatives. This is something that has happened to your relatives. You just don't know about it and they're never going to tell you. Most of the time they don't even tell each other. One person saying "this happened to me" allows others victims to open up. That's why it's so important to protect them, especially kids.
So, knowing the truth about its pervasiveness, everyone is still presumed innocent, as it should be. How do we protect victims from reprisal while protecting the accused? Sworn affidavits are fine as long as it doesn't lead to retaliation. What should the standards for conviction be if it's always he said/she said? If women are coming out of the woodwork to say "This guy did this to me too," it clearly leads towards a crime having been committed.