Allegations of Abuse or Malpractice
What should I do if I have been accused of abuse?
Report Harmful Content occasionally receives reports from clients who are dealing with allegations of abuse or malpractice, posted publically to social media. Allegations can be extremely serious, for example sexual harassment, abuse, bullying and hate-speech. Being the target of any allegation is, understandably, stressful. Clients approach Report Harmful Content asking if we are able to help them remove defamatory comments from social media platforms. The short answer is that we cannot.
Why can't Report Harmful Content help?
Usually, our role as a service is to intervene where reports have already been made to social media without success. In many instances, we are able to escalate abusive content directly to social media for review. However, when it comes to allegations made against an individual, we aren't able to mediate in this way. This is because there are instances where allegations turn out to be true and we aren't in the position to be the arbitrators of this. Whilst we have every sympathy for individuals who have been incorrectly accused of abuse and are victims themselves, our service has a duty to safeguard everyone.
Can I report defamatory comments to social media?
You can report defamatory comments directly to social media. If comments are abusive or threatening in nature, then there’s a good chance that the platform in question will remove them. If you are dealing with allegations of abuse which you believe to be untrue, there are several options we would recommend.
Find out how to report this type of content across multiple social media platforms below, and alternative organisations you can contact for further support.
If the allegations are criminal in nature, you should seek support from the police.
If you are a teacher or any other professional working with young people, we would recommend contacting our sister service The Professionals Online Safety Helpline (POSH). The Department for Education (DfE) also offers guidelines for dealing with allegations of abuse made against school staff.
If allegations have been made within a workplace setting, ACAS can offer guidance and support for both employees and employers.
If reports to social media are unsuccessful, depending on the severity of the allegations made, you might want to seek legal advice. Citizen’s Advice offer guidance on how to access low cost legal assistance.
