F.A.C.T. REVIEWED AND RECOMMENDED

ASHES TO ASHES ...FAMILIES TO DUST
False Accusations of Child Abuse:
A Roadmap for Survivors

by Dean Tong

ASHES to ASHES...Families to Dust is indeed a "roadmap for survivors" of false accusations of child abuse. It is a must read for anyone accused of this ugly crime. It provides a damning exposé of Family Law and the Social Services profession in the area of child abuse investigations. Most importantly, it is an badly needed vote of support for vilified fathers in their darkest hour. It is a great book. It really reflects what so many of children unfortunately have to endure at the end of parental relationships, and helps one not only to prevent it if it is starting, but to reconcile and work past it for those who have had to endure false accusations.

The Author Dean Tong immediately opens with a definition of the SAID Syndrome.

Sexual allegations in divorce, involving the minor children of estranged parents, have become the weapon of choice in bitter divorce and custody battles across the nation. This phenomenon has become common enough that there is now a name attached to the action. Blush and Ross called it the SAID Syndrome (Sexual Allegations In Divorce).

He points out that in 1995:

There were 3,200,000 reports of alleged child abuse and neglect in America.... Of those, only 16% incorporated sex abuse complaints. Of those, 75% were deemed unfounded, without foundation. Ironically, 1995 depicted 6,500,000 children had access to only one (1) parent, largely due to false child abuse charges.

The author warns that there is now a witch hunt underway in our effort to protect children from abuse. He argues that the Social Services profession is rife with under qualified incompetent people wrestling with the profit motive. That there is funding to be had with every proven case of child abuse. He points out the dangers of pseudo- professionals interrogating children with leading questions, while using anatomically correct dolls, with disproportionately large genitalia.

This book urges the accused to contest the charges early and to document everything. It identifies the need for a competent legal team from the outset and makes it clear that it is folly for the accused to rest on his laurels and rely on his innocence. The author awakens the reader to the seriousness of these charges, from which you can lose everything: your freedom, your children, and their financial well-being.

It cautions that you will be considered guilty until you can prove your innocence (if you can). That everyone caught up in the court process will get as much justice as they can afford, and that if you can afford any justice you won't get any justice.

In closing I strongly recommend Dean Tong's book to all fathers, including those in the early stages of divorce when the accusations have not yet started to fly. Remember, as Tong points out:

According to Douglas Besharov, the original director of the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect and now a law professor, seventy percent of child-abuse cases are unfounded. A national study done in 1986 by the Child Welfare League showed that sixty percent of child-abuse allegations were proven false. To reach a judgement of unfounded, in cases of child sexual abuse, often takes months of juvenile and, perhaps, criminal court time, thousands of dollars in attorney fees and results in the disruption of the family, the accused's career, and his entire lifestyle. Wouldn't it seem logical that any system producing a sixty to seventy percent error rate should be examined for deficiencies.

reviewed by Gene

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE THIS BOOK?

AUTHOR'S SITE