by Maggi Thomas

Created on: June 29, 2009

Custody battles are traumatic experiences which affect everyone involved, parents as well as the children, and it can be made so much worse when the other parent decides to fight dirty and lie, accusing you of the most heinous of crimes - child abuse. When a courtroom battle takes this sort of turn, no one will escape unscathed.

It is the most terrifying feeling when false allegations involving your children are made against you, and you will be left feeling unsure of what to do next or where to turn for help. You will need to do whatever you can to defend yourself against this, and prove that it is untrue.

According to experts, making such allegations within a custody battle is a commonly used weapon as it is simple and results are easily obtained.

Your opponent might accuse you of being overly cruel when the child has slightly misbehaved and a small punishment would have sufficed. This may even have been a real incident where you have smacked your child, and it is being wildly exaggerated by the other parent in order to destroy the court's opinion of you, and of your suitability as a parent.

In this situation you should never try to lie as your opponent may well have evidence that you did at least smack the child, and a flat denial of this will give the impression that the rest of it is true as well. Admit the smacking, but state that the rest of the accusation is wildly exaggerated.

It is at this point that you can use these allegations to your advantage. For instance, if the parent was so concerned about your 'cruel' treatment of the child, then why did they not report it at the time? Why leave it until now? If they did not protect the child at that time, then how can they be trusted to protect the child now?

Eventually the truth will come out and you will be acquitted of all the untrue accusations made against you as each one is proven unfounded. Now the opinion of the court will be swung very firmly in your favor.

The opposing parent will be shown as vindictive, selfish, and prepared to lie, even about their own children in order to get what they want. The court will see a person who is unable to put their children's needs before their own wants.

Child Protection services

The Child protection services can be of some assistance if you are having real difficulty proving that the allegations made against you are entirely made up of lies. They will appoint a key worker to your case who will conduct their own investigation into the parenting ability of both parents. They will make their own recommendations to the court as to who they think would be most fit to care for the children.

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