Welcome back, and thanks for joining us again for this discussion on why kids sometimes lie about being molested. We know it’s a really rough topic to talk about, and can make people uncomfortable. But comfortable or not, it’s a really important subject and you need to know what’s true and what isn’t when it comes to this topic.

As we mentioned in the previous article, children lie about molestation for a variety of reasons. We’ve already discussed why a kid would not tell someone when they ARE being molested. But in this segment we’d like to talk about why kids would claim they’re being molested when they’re not.

Sometimes it’s nothing more than a misunderstanding!

Believe it or not, sometimes what sounds like a child telling someone they’ve been abused, is actually a misunderstanding. How could such a critical piece of information be misunderstood? Easily. When an adult misses the true meaning in something a child says, and automatically assumes that they’re talking about something sinister.

Sometimes it’s accidental “coaching” during forensic interviews

Another time it tends to happen, is during forensic interviews. CPS workers, social workers and police officers can influence children during interviews, to provide the answers they want. Because of the high danger of tainting a child’s answers, Michigan has adopted very specific protocols for interviewing children. However, even these don’t guarantee that the answers kids give will be unaffected by how a child perceives what their interviewer wants.

Sometimes it’s because of a history of abuse

And sometimes it’s because there IS a history of abuse, but not with the person being accused. Foster children who come out of abusive situations, where they were victims of physical, sexual or emotional abuse, are sometimes the source of false allegations of molestation. Why would a foster child lie about their abuser? Many reasons, here are a few:

• They use the allegations as a weapon or a manipulation tool to get what they want.
• They report abuse that never happened as a way to get attention
• They report abuse as a method of control over circumstances where they feel powerless and helpless.
• They discuss abuses that took place in their past, but don’t provide a correct timeline, or correctly specify when the abuse took place, and so the adult who is hearing about it for the first time doesn’t realize that the information isn’t current.

Being the subject of a false allegation is a horrible experience!

Regardless of the reason, if someone has accused you of abusing a child, you’re in for a very rough ride. And the only way you’ll survive this, is to make sure you have an excellent abuse and neglect defense attorney with years of experience on your side. Here at The Kronzek Firm, our child abuse and neglect defense attorneys have been defending parents and caregivers against false allegations for decades. Call us at 866 766 5245 today and get the help you need.