A number of school sex abuse scandals have hit the headlines in California recently. Many allegations of sex crimes involving teachers are proven, but unfortunately, as San Diego sex crimes lawyers know, many are not. Across the pond, authorities are proposing the prosecution of students who make false allegations of abuse and other crimes against teachers.
A recent study in the UK found that a majority of the allegations of sex crimes, sex abuse, assault and other crimes made by students against teachers were unsubstantiated. The UK's largest teachers union is reacting to this increase in baseless and unfounded allegations against teachers.
The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers represents teachers throughout the United Kingdom. According to data from the union, less than one out of every 20 allegations made by children against schoolteachers resulted in any kind of court action. These allegations included everything from assaults to threats. According to the union, in 2011, most allegations that were made by children against teachers did not result in court action. A total of 103 claims were made that year. However, no legal action was taken in more than 60 of these claims. Another 39 claims are yet to be concluded, but the union estimates that it is very unlikely that most of these claims made it to court either.
Now, the union is insisting that children who make false allegations against teachers be prosecuted. They want schools to have procedures in place under which a child who makes any allegation against a teacher is made aware right at the beginning of the investigation that if, later down the line, he or she is found to have lied, there will be serious consequences.
Some new measures are now in place to protect teachers. For instance, a new piece of legislation gives teachers the right to anonymity until they are actually charged with a criminal offense. Additionally, schools have been ordered to speed up investigations into claims made by children against teachers. However, many teachers believe that these measures are insufficient to protect them from such unsubstantiated allegations.