Child abuse is an horrific act. The abuser steals the child's innocence, and damages the child (often) physically, and (in probably all cases) psychologically for life.

That said, for about a twenty year period during the 1980s and '90s, accusations of mass child abuse were given currency and prosecuted. It was a 20th century version of the Salem Witch trials.

Even as the media and common sense belied these accusations, I remember that a former, local talk-show host spent about 80% of her time on the then current investigations and trials. Her mantra was that the children must be believed, even in spite of all evidence to the contrary.

The most high profile case is probably the McMartin Pre-school case which was adjudicated over a three or so year period, and (I believe) at least two trials, all but one defendant were exonerated completely, and that one was, perhaps, found guilty on a very minor charge. There was zero corroborating physical evidence, and it was shown that the children's testimonies had had been tainted by the interviewing psychologists and others.

In Oregon (I think) members of clergy and some of the lay leadership of a local church were charged with mass and ritual child abuse after church services over a long period of time. This, too, proved untrue.

In Bakersfield, Calif. (about 110 miles north of Los Angeles) a group of adults was similarly accused. They were not so fortunate, and were convicted and imprisoned. A few years later those convictions were overturned for lack of evidence, or the recantation of some of the alleged victims. I don't whether this was the end of that case (I stopped traveling to that city) but I believe it was.

It is good and proper that we should make every effort to protect our children. But this doesn't mean that we leave our common sense behind in the process.

I'm sorry I don't have time to look up the particulars of these and other cases, but I leave for vacation (holiday) tomorrow a.m., but there is tons of material on the web re: McMartin, and I'm sure the others can be googled.