"Sexual abuse"

"Sex abuse claims filed with the Accident Compensation Corporation have tripled since the reintroduction of controversial lump-sum payments two months ago."

I feel really sorry for all the falsely accused, some people have no problem destroying someone elses live so they can get a little cash bonus.

http://nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=2044801

That sucks, those false accusers are also making things so much more difficult for those genuinely affected by sexual abuse.

People with real complaints will probably be open to more cynicism [sp?] now.

Its such a difficult issue. Yes some make false claims, but most have suffered unbelievable trauma. I don't think we have come close to resolving where the true extent of sexual abuse lies. I certainly think it is still under reported and always will be. For every false claim there are probably another 10 that people will never report for various reasons.

1 in 3 girls have been sexually abused in some form by the time they're 16... and that is from evidence collated by new zealand psychologists and psychiatrists before you jump to ya guns..

got a link? I'd be interested to see their stats

it was given in lecture notes to me by dr moskowitz from auckland psych dept... ill see if i can find a link for it tho

Most of these stats have been shown to have dodgy stats backing them up. Last figure like that I heard used to be bandied around a lot but had been well and truly refuted. It all depends on your definition of the term sexual abuse. Psychologists being part of the sexual abuse rehabilitation industry have it in their interests to overstate the amount of abuse that happens.

It can be such a "touchy" subject sexual abuse and so difficult to prove. Perhaps people are just better educated and are reporting it more as the lump sum gives them the means too hide out if things go wrong.

We learnt at Uni that it was 3 in ten girls have been sexually abused by the time they were 16. Whatever is correct, its still damn disgusting.

What makes me sick is the false claims that are purely money making ventures. What about the real victims that stay quiet?

Your forgetting the other real victims here, the falsely accused...

acc is a no fault system

essentially what this means is when a person makes a claim for sexual abuse they dont have to accuse anybody to lodge a claim, just to say they were abused is enough.

and if they did name the accused nothing would happen unless the matter was taken up with the police. the acc nor the health provider have the power to take any step down that road without express consent of the claimant.

so really the falsely accused aren't victims at all, we all are, because as tax payers we foot the bill.

as to the right and wrong of the issue who can judge really. sexual abuse is a particularly sensitive subject. would any of you care to tell someone who claims sexual abuse that the're a liar? i know i wouldn't.

I agree, but at the end of the day someone needs to ask the difficult questions. If it becomes a gravy train then the ones who are really abused will end up missing out as the scheme will be canned.

i don't think that a lump-sum payment would help anyone deal with leading a life where they feel safe & confident after abuse. the people that are actually abused should have access to counsellors/medicine when required. paying someone for suffering @ the hands of someone else just doesn't seem right. if someone makes a claim then it needs to be investigated, it's just sad that there are lots of people out there that are happy to cash in on other people's misery.