False allegations have become a major barrier to victims of sexual assault getting the help they need. As trivial and false claims clog the system and consume scarce resources:

• Victims are less likely to report the crime because they worry they won’t be believed
• Police are less likely to investigate
• Jurors are less likely to believe the victim
• Shelters and other social services are forced to turn persons away

Now, a growing number of persons are speaking out on the problem of false allegations:

• Rape is No Joke: “Enormous damages are done by making a false allegation of rape”
• DA Hallie Dixon: “False reporting…can be detrimental to the prosecution of legitimate crimes.”
• Judge Kevin Kilrane: False accusers do “tremendous damage to genuine victims of rape who are going to be undermined.”
• Judge Stephen Hopkins: “Every false allegation of rape increases the plight of those women who are genuinely victims of rape.”
• Justice Enriques: “False complaints of rape necessarily impact on the minds of jurors trying rape cases.”
• Columnist Andrea Peyser: “This could present a huge problem for future rape victims.”
• Columnist Myron Pitts: “Real victims of assault are never helped by phony claims. It is already difficult enough for women to report to police such a traumatic experience.”