The overwhelming majority of rape allegations are truthful, but false accusations do occur for motives that may be either self-protective or malicious. These are doubly harmful, as they not only injure the reputation of the falsely accused but also undermine the credibility of genuine rape victims. In cases where an accusation turns out to be provably false, law enforcement authorities are taking the matter very seriously, prosecuting false accusers for a criminal violation. Rape victim advocates worry about a chilling effect on genuine victims coming forward, but others believe false accusers victimize genuine rape victims too. Read about these two cases, one from the UK about a serial accuser of 19 men she enticed on the internet, many of whom rejected her, and another about a Wisconsin nurse who accused a patient of raping her to conceal a consensual, but illicit act with him while she was on duty.
False Rape Allegations Are Punished
