MOVING BEYOND LITIGATION AND POSITIVISM - ANOTHER APPROACH TO ACCUSATIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE

The current polarized debates about false memory and reclaimed memory with regard to child sexual abuse have trivialized the significance of experimental knowledge and contributed to the silencing of the voice of the victim-survivor, They have also enabled the alleged abuser to a void confronting those elements of his behaviour which are problematic for others and discouraged preventative approaches by locking the pro tagonists into adversarial positions. We argue that this need not be t he case if therapeutic relationships can operate outside of court driv en proceedings and be aimed at responding to the needs of the victim-s urvivor to have their experience of abuse validated and of the alleged abuser to work on non-abusive ways of relating to others.