'Rape is an abhorrent crime and every victim should be able to report it. But false accusations of rape are abhorrent too, and the victims too easily forgotten. Not only do false allegations damage the life of the victim but they also contribute to the trivialisation of the seriousness of genuine sexual violence.'

The last paragraph sums up why these days so few reported sex crimes end in conviction.

watched a reality show just last week on Oz TV..was it an Essex school ?..fascinating with unobtrusive cameras everywhere recording.

One girl accuses a teacher (who has been reprimanding her) of touching her inappropriately.

Headmaster diligently watches every bit of footage- it's a lie. teacher never went near the girl so she is booted.

It's that easy to falsely accuse. Imagine if the cameras were not there. If I worked around kids (never!!) I'd want cameras 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week.

hedda wrote:
I'd want cameras 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week.

Of course you would, dear.

Quite extraordinary that The Guardian, which is the crusader for feminine issues and prosecuting rapes, published this. It and all other media outlets usually seem unable, these days, to accept that neither extreme is true and that there are as many false allegations as there are rapes - and most somewhere in between, messy misunderstandings.

Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It took 14 years but a glimmer might be there. As virtually every news report these days is a "sex crime", possibly a few intelligent observers are starting to realise the reality.

Louella wrote:
hedda wrote:
I'd want cameras 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week.

Of course you would, dear.

I'm ready for my close-up