Sexual Abuse Allegations
Author: Barry Goldstein.; Elizabeth Liu.
Source: Volume 08, Number 02, Fall 2015 , pp.157-188(32)
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Abstract:
In this chapter drawn from Goldstein and Liu’s book, Representing the Domestic Violence Survivor, we learn about the pitfalls facing protective mothers who present what has been described as equivalent to detonating a bomb in the courtroom: allegations of sexual abuse against the other parent. The two authors, both seasoned in the legal fi eld, lay out an authoritative diagnosis of what goes wrong in family court cases involving child sexual abuse, along with recommendations of what sexually abused children most need, yet so rarely receive, from the legal system: validation, understanding, support, and protection.Keywords: sexist society; myths and stereotypes; failure of custody courts; media depictions; incest; false allegations; difficulties in proving allegations; grooming; court response favoring abusers not believing mothers; level of proof of abuse; allegation r
Affiliations:
1: Child Custody Task Force for the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS); 2: Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment & Appeals Project (DV LEAP).