I absolutely agree that it is vile when a child's statement is cavalierly dismissed. At the same time, I do feel we need to remember that an allegation is not proof. There are cases of false allegations of child abuse, ranging from the young man who accused Cardinal Bernardin (and eventually admitted he was lying) to the fantastic claims about the Amirault day care center (supposed penetration with butcher knives that left no marks, animal sacrifices, children tied naked to trees along a public highway).

This is not a reason not to take an allegation seriously, particularly when it's coming from a young child who has not been obviously coached (the children in the Amirault case were led on by "therapists" into their sensational claims). That's the reason that allegations need to be reported so they can be carefully investigated by people who know what they're doing--that's the job of the police. And that's why both dismissing and broadcasting initial allegations is damaging.

What's most abominable is when people and organizations KNOW that the allegations are true and still fail to do the right thing-and then allow even more abuse to occur.