Not all coercive control claims are true. In fact, The Men’s Advisory Project – a charity that supports male domestic abuse sufferers – claims that false abuse allegations are used as a way to control men. Rhona Lusty of the charity said: “innocent men fear allegations will automatically be believed because of society’s attitudes to abuse.”
In a society where attitudes towards domestic abuse seem set, defending yourself against false abuse allegations can be an uphill struggle. If you’re reading this and thinking ‘well, there’s no smoke without fire, if they’ve been accused it means something must be amiss’, just stop and think for a moment.
In the context of a relationship ending, is it not plausible to think that in some cases, one party accuses the other party of abuse as a means of leverage to get what they want? The reality is that it does happen. Take the recent Eleanor Williams case, where Ms Williams was jailed for eight-and-a-half years after falsely accusing several men of raping her.
Men face more false abuse allegations than women
Those false rape claims made by Williams ruined lives, and the same happens when false abuse allegations are made.
In a BBC report in December 2022, Rhona Lusty said: “We have definitely worked with men who have threats of: ‘I will go to your work and say that you are a sexual abuser’ or ‘I will tell the police that you’ve harmed me… I will tell the police that you’ve harmed our kids’.”
This kind of threat is made to stop men in particular from ending a relationship. The irony is that the very thing false accusers use as a threat is a form or coercive control in itself.
Men who are subject to these kind of threats feel they have no choice but to remain in a relationship for fear that even false abuse allegations would be believed without question because of how society views domestic abuse.
Understand that we are not diminishing the seriousness of genuine coercive control cases, but false claims are a reality, which begs the question, how does one defend themselves against false abuse claims?
Hire a family lawyer
If you feel that you are likely to be subject to a false abuse allegation, your first step should be to seek legal advice. Even the accusation itself can have severe consequences. It could:
- Stop you from seeing your children
- See you removed from the family home
- Prevent you from living in the family home
A family lawyer can advise you of your options and provide a listening ear. If a false allegation is made against you, you will have the opportunity to give your side of the story in court.
At Holland Family Law, we can review any statements given by the other party to determine whether your false allegation claims have some merit. We can also help you prepare statements in response to the accusations made against you and assist you with gathering evidence to disprove the false abuse allegations.
Leave A Comment