Why False Allegations Harm True Victims of Abuse

The call to “believe all victims” comes from a place of compassion. For far too long, those who experienced abuse were doubted, ignored, or silenced. Their cries were dismissed while their abusers went unpunished, and the damage was multiplied by a culture that valued convenience and reputation over justice. To counter this injustice, a movement rose, urging us to listen, to take every story seriously, and to treat survivors with the dignity they deserve. At its heart, this cry is good. Survivors need to know they matter. They need to be seen and heard. They need to be believed.

But within that call lies a tension, because not every allegation is true. While false claims are far less common than true ones, they happen. And when they do, they cause harm not only to the person falsely accused but to the very survivors the movement was meant to protect. Every fabricated story casts a shadow of doubt over the countless victims who are telling the truth. Every time a false claim surfaces, skeptics point to it as proof that people lie about abuse, fuelling suspicion and making it harder for genuine survivors to be taken seriously. For someone who has already endured unspeakable harm, the existence of false allegations becomes another barrier, another reason to fear speaking out.

The damage doesn’t stop there. False claims empower abusers, who are already skilled at twisting narratives. They use the existence of lies to discredit their victims, pointing to those who fabricated stories as evidence that no one can be trusted. This manipulation deepens the silence of survivors and allows cycles of abuse to continue unchecked. False allegations also undermine justice itself. Time and resources that should be spent protecting those in real danger are wasted, credibility in the systems meant to uphold truth is eroded, and communities grow divided over who to believe.

Scripture speaks strongly to this danger. Bearing false witness is not a minor offense; it is condemned as one of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Proverbs warns, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free” (Proverbs 19:5). Lies are not neutral; they are destructive. They harm the innocent, they damage the vulnerable, and they distort the truth that God loves and upholds. God’s heart is for justice. He draws near to the brokenhearted, saves the crushed in spirit, and detests injustice in every form.

To protect actual victims, we must guard the truth. This does not mean dismissing those who come forward. Every story deserves to be taken seriously, because behind every disclosure, there could be someone in desperate need of safety. But compassion must walk hand in hand with discernment. Belief cannot mean blind acceptance that abandons the pursuit of truth. Real protection requires us to listen carefully, investigate thoroughly, and respond with empathy and fairness. When someone fabricates a story, accountability must follow, not to minimize real victims but to preserve their credibility. To look the other way when falsehoods are spoken is to fail the people struggling to be believed.

The church and the wider community must understand this delicate balance. To dismiss victims altogether is to side with oppressors, but to accept every claim without question is to risk injustice that echoes far beyond a single case. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Freedom comes not from choosing one side or the other, but from standing firm in truth and justice. Survivors need us to listen with compassion, but they also need us to be wise enough to discern, strong enough to uphold justice, and courageous enough to hold liars accountable.

False allegations are not just unfair to the accused; they are profoundly dangerous for actual victims of abuse. They silence those who most need to be heard, they embolden abusers, and they erode the trust needed to protect the vulnerable. If we want to honour survivors, we cannot allow false claims to go unchecked. Belief must always be tethered to truth, compassion must always be anchored in justice, and our commitment must always be to protect the innocent and defend the oppressed. Anything less risks betraying the very people we are called to protect.