European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine the Teal tragedy is not that people Are manipulating the system but. The abrupt severing of Parent child  with no regard Lor the integrity of that relationship or the Sanctity of the  parents misuse child abuse charges in custody cases by Joan Hanauer United press International Harges of sexual abuse increasingly Are being used As a weapon in custody Bailies Between parents who Are separating or divorcing and the number of unfounded accusations May also be on the Rise. Lawrence 0 Spiegel a new Jersey psychologist who was based from seeing his tiny daughter for 30 months after he was accused of having sexually abused her says he knows Justice was ill served by his Case. His charge is supported by some of the pioneers in the right against child abuse but these same experts worry about e backlash that would set Back the Battle against real sexual abuses. Spiegel summarized his experience in in inner View on dec. 8. 1983, Wilh no forewarning whatsoever. I was arrested in the parking idl of my office building. I had arrived at my office got Oul of my car and promptly was a rested handcuffed and taken to the police station then i was informed Hal i was under arrest for sexually abusing my Little girl who was 2 / years old. This happened one month after my divorce and during a custody  he said the prosecutor s office had acted solely on his sex wife s allegation Wilh no corroborative evidence. What followed was two years of Legal battled Between Spiegel and the prosecutor s office until the Case finally came to trial on dec. 9,1535. Ii was two years almost to the Day Afler my arrest Spiegel said and during that entire two year period 1 was barred from any Contact whatsoever with my Little girl i could t even Send her a birthday present. The Iriel lasted about 11 Days. Ii took the jury one hour and 45 minutes end that included a lunch break to find me not guilty " Spiegel now has Joel custody of his daughter Jessie and has written a Book about his Case tilled a question of innocence. His is not in isolated d. E. There Are no Eaty Antwerp Here said Douglas j. Besharov who prosecuted child abuse cases in Mew York City from 1969-72, became the isl it Rector of the National Center on child abuse and currently is writing a Guidebook Lor concerned parents Besharov who wrote an afterword for Spiegel s Book said the rhetoric about sexual abuse of children has to be toned Down we could do a much belief Job of monday january 26, 1987 firming up evidence. We a of losing Many cases that of mud be successfully prosecuted while moving ahead with cases that from a distance there seems no reason to proceed Besharov said hot while the number of reported cases of abuse has soared so has the unfounded rate. He cited new York Staie. Which he said has one of lha highest unfounded rates the number of Repola child abuse including sexual abuse increased by about 50 percent Between 1979 and 1983, from 51,836 to 74,120. The number of  reports however fell by almost 20 percent  he said nearly 23.000 additional families were investigated while fewer children were  me said there were no statistics on How often sexual abuse was used to deny custody or visitation adding speaking a a family Law teacher and practitioner i is assumed by me end my colleagues thai this has become a very widespread practice in the last three or four years As the Media has been filled with stories Aboul child sex abuse. We hear that it is a very easily abused allegation. Let me emphasize that often a Parent makes he accusation in Good Faith. 1 Don t think these Are necessarily deliberate lies or Hal you Are dealing with evil people Here. But in a divorce Case the spouses who used to love each other now Are ready to believe the very worst. Very often these people could pass a lie Detector lest because they really believe something has happened. But i also must say that we should not overreact in the other direction. For years the system turned a cold shoulder on reports of sexual abuse of children. Now we Are going too far in the other direction. But that does not mean to should now say it does t happen because it does. What we need is a More balanced  or. Vincent j. Fontana a Pioneer in the fight for child abuse legislation also is aware of the use of unfounded charges in custody and visitation fights. Like Besharov he worries that attempts to Correct the situation could swing the pendulum too far in the opposite direction. I get Calls perhaps once a month from a wife in a divorce situation or a separation situation who says or. Fontana. I Don i want visitation rights Lor my husband because he is sexually abusing our child what really is happening is that a distraught wife or an angry or frustrated wife is making these statements to get Back at her husband and the child is the Scapegoat he said Fontana medical director of the new York foundling Hospital Center for Parent and child development has been chairman of the new York City mayor s task Force on child abuse since the Lindsay administration of the 1960s. Certainly parents who went to gel at each other can use accusations of abuse to do so he said noting that 60 percent of the cases of child abuse reported in new York City Are unfounded that is investigating authorities cannot substantiate whether or not they Are True. There were 37,515 Case of. Child abuse reported in new York City in All of 1985, involving 61,464 children. In the first ten months of 1986. There were 37,874 cases reported involving 62,007 children. By the same Token child abuse is increasing by 10 percent to 15 percent through the country he said. To must avoid a backlash. If we do not pay attention to reports of child abuse that would leave tens of thousands of children abused and unprotected. What we need is belter reporting and better  Par Nii and others who Are the victims of unfounded child abuse charges can seek help from vocal victims of child abuse Laws an organization founded in Hampton Minn in 1984 which now has about 100 chapters throughout the country according to Siegel who Heads the new Jersey group. The real tragedy is not that people Ere manipulating the system Siegel said but the Way it is being handled with the abrupt severing of Parent child relationships with to regard for the integrity of that relationship or the Sanctity of the family. My daughter Jessie is doing pretty Well right now because she had no concept of what was going on she was too Young. But i am not sure what lha future holds in store for her when she is old enough to understand what  the stars and stripes Page 13