Two Lies and deception in the backlash
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Sarah Nelson
Abstract
In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure no one listens. (Herman, 1992)
The opening chapter discussed some ways in which the modern backlash against the exposure of child sexual abuse (CSA) has undermined protection of children at risk. Supporters of accused adults have used media and academic discourse to shape public, legal and medical opinion; and at times to discredit, intimidate and silence child and adult survivors of CSA, the children’s mothers and professionals who have tried to protect or support them.
Theories promoted by proponents of the backlash against exposure of CSA have received widespread credibility and media publicity. Those who believed abused children and adults have often found themselves portrayed as gullible and naive. This chapter examines how credible some major examples of backlash theories have actually been: the ‘satanic panic’, ‘false memory syndrome’ (FMS) and ‘parental alienation syndrome’ (PAS). Some individuals particularly active against sexual abuse, and repeatedly targeted for discredit, are discussed. Continuing attempts at discredit are suggested through the example of the ‘Butner study’.
Careful academic and legal critiques already exist of FMS and PAS. As discussed later, the memory debates from the early 1990s onwards inspired valuable professional analyses of amnesia and memory issues following trauma. Rather than simply repeat these, I concentrate here on sometimes glaring weaknesses in backlash theories, which should have raised obvious doubts about their reliability and credibility, yet did not.
Abstract
In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure no one listens. (Herman, 1992)
The opening chapter discussed some ways in which the modern backlash against the exposure of child sexual abuse (CSA) has undermined protection of children at risk. Supporters of accused adults have used media and academic discourse to shape public, legal and medical opinion; and at times to discredit, intimidate and silence child and adult survivors of CSA, the children’s mothers and professionals who have tried to protect or support them.
Theories promoted by proponents of the backlash against exposure of CSA have received widespread credibility and media publicity. Those who believed abused children and adults have often found themselves portrayed as gullible and naive. This chapter examines how credible some major examples of backlash theories have actually been: the ‘satanic panic’, ‘false memory syndrome’ (FMS) and ‘parental alienation syndrome’ (PAS). Some individuals particularly active against sexual abuse, and repeatedly targeted for discredit, are discussed. Continuing attempts at discredit are suggested through the example of the ‘Butner study’.
Careful academic and legal critiques already exist of FMS and PAS. As discussed later, the memory debates from the early 1990s onwards inspired valuable professional analyses of amnesia and memory issues following trauma. Rather than simply repeat these, I concentrate here on sometimes glaring weaknesses in backlash theories, which should have raised obvious doubts about their reliability and credibility, yet did not.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements v
- Introduction 1
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Setting the scene: some barriers to progress
- From rediscovery to suppression? Challenges to reducing CSA 21
- Lies and deception in the backlash 59
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Children and young people
- Fact, myth and legacy in notorious child abuse cases: Orkney in context 103
- Stigmatised young people: from ‘abuse fodder’ to key allies against abuse and exploitation 133
- Models for ethical, effective child protection 175
- Community prevention of CSA: a model for practice 213
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Working with adult survivors of sexual abuse
- Physical ill health: addressing the serious impacts of sexual violence 251
- Producing radical change in mental health: implications of the trauma paradigm 287
- Pathways into crime after sexual abuse: the voices of male offenders 319
- Rethinking sex offender programmes for survivor-perpetrators 349
- Conclusion 373
- References 381
- Index 425
- About the authors 441
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements v
- Introduction 1
-
Setting the scene: some barriers to progress
- From rediscovery to suppression? Challenges to reducing CSA 21
- Lies and deception in the backlash 59
-
Children and young people
- Fact, myth and legacy in notorious child abuse cases: Orkney in context 103
- Stigmatised young people: from ‘abuse fodder’ to key allies against abuse and exploitation 133
- Models for ethical, effective child protection 175
- Community prevention of CSA: a model for practice 213
-
Working with adult survivors of sexual abuse
- Physical ill health: addressing the serious impacts of sexual violence 251
- Producing radical change in mental health: implications of the trauma paradigm 287
- Pathways into crime after sexual abuse: the voices of male offenders 319
- Rethinking sex offender programmes for survivor-perpetrators 349
- Conclusion 373
- References 381
- Index 425
- About the authors 441
