Why are children believed without question on abuse?

[eurosceptic]

From today's successful exoneration of Michael Hannon there follows this question. Why is it that children seem to be believed without question on claims of abuse. Who would believe a 10 year old if they said they saw a dead body in their neighbours shed? Who would believe a 10 year old if they said they overheard their dad conspiring with his accountant to evade tax in the next room? In fact who would trust a 10 year old on anything else that could put someone in jail.
As a proponent of civil liberties i find this trend very troubling. A 10 year old could implicate you or me tomorrow and be automatically believed.

Hannon case declared miscarriage of justice | BreakingNews.ie

[swansandtyphus]

A 10 year old could implicate you or me tomorrow and be automatically believed.

Human beings are easily decieved.
That little ************************* ruined this poor man's life.

[cHeal]

With regards abuse, children are believed more out of guilt than anything else. The history of institutional abuse haunts this country as does the unheard cries of the children who suffered. It's a natural consequence and no doubt one which will wear off in time. I think certainly this case will lead to a realization that a childs testimony alone cannot be trusted, however the balance of proof required for crimes of this kind will never be easy get right and will likely always be influenced by current cultural attitudes. It is possibly a situation where Jury trials simply aren't practical or fair.

[FutureTaoiseach]

Because of the legacy of child-abuse scandals in Church-run state-institutions. Hardly a week goes by when another case comes to light in the media, and that generates an exaggerated view of how common it is in 2009. The reality is that the vast majority of what we're finding out is what happened decades ago, which may not reflect what is happening in 2009 in terms of scale.

[imokyrok]

Human beings are easily decieved.
That little ************************* ruined this poor man's life.

This poor man must have been to hell and back over the last ten years. I don't know how you cope with such a thing. He must be a very strong man.

The child was 10 years old and I'm guessing was also a victim. There is a lot more to this than just a child telling fibs in my opinion. However I don't want to speculate about possible crimes and their perpetrators online needless to say. Thankfully she had the courage to come forward now and tell the truth. I hope both people get the help they need to cope with this disturbing situation.

[pd_phoenix]

I think theres an automatic reaction to protect when someone hears that a child has been abused in such a horrific manner and wrongly this sense of 'protection' is to assume automatic guilt

[Tommy Tayto]

The little brat. I think anyone found to be making a false abuse or rape claim should be sentenced to at least one year in jail, with a hefty fine to boot.
Mud like that sticks, and you're forever guilty until proven guilty in the eyes of the public. I know one young trollop who went home with a rather unattractive gentleman one saturday night. The next day, to save her embarrassment, she promptly accused him of rape. After his arrest, interrogation and public humiliation, she eventually admitted she had made the whole story up. Unforgiveable. Bring on sharia law I say!

[garlandgreen]

The little brat. I think anyone found to be making a false abuse or rape claim should be sentenced to at least one year in jail, with a hefty fine to boot.
Mud like that sticks, and you're forever guilty until proven guilty in the eyes of the public. I know one young trollop who went home with a rather unattractive gentleman one saturday night. The next day, to save her embarrassment, she promptly accused him of rape. After his arrest, interrogation and public humiliation, she eventually admitted she had made the whole story up. Unforgiveable. Bring on sharia law I say!

You want to jail a twenty year old for what she said when she was ten? Idiot

[Conor]

I think certainly this case will lead to a realization that a childs testimony alone cannot be trusted, however the balance of proof required for crimes of this kind will never be easy get right and will likely always be influenced by current cultural attitudes. It is possibly a situation where Jury trials simply aren't practical or fair.

In fairness, you only hear about instances where the jury finds the defendent guilty. I once served on a jury where a man was accused of sexual assault on a child, the only evidence in support of the charge being the (unsworn) testimony of a 7 or 8 year old child about an assault alleged to have occurred about three years previously (IIRC). We acquitted him due to the lack of evidence; we had no particular reason to think she was lying, but she could've been simply wrong, and there just wasn't enough corroborating evidence. Obviously, a case like this wouldn't get into the papers.

I'm very curious about how this particular verdict was reached - that is, if there was any evidence against him other than her testimony.

[Tommy Tayto]

You want to jail a twenty year old for what she said when she was ten? Idiot

Well I was actually referring to adults, hence the little story there. Maybe I should have made that clearer. Please don't call me an idiot, by the way.