FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATIONAL SURVEY ON PATERNITY FRAUD BEING LAUNCHED
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI, AUGUST 6, 2021
A national survey on paternity fraud victims is being launched today. The survey is believed to be the first comprehensive survey seeking information from victims of paternity fraud nation-wide in an effort to gather data on an under studied area. Paternity fraud is the instance where the wrong man is labeled the father of a child and a DNA test reveals to his surprise that he was not.
“Paternity fraud is a wide-spread issue. We know it exists at every socio-economic level in our society and yet there is little data upon which to examine its actual impact on men, women, children and families in our society today,” says Dr. Sharon L. Squires, the survey’s creator. This is an issue that transcends country, race, and socio-economic status.
“There are not a lot of places for men to discuss their experiences and tell their stories”, said Carnell Smith, one of the pioneers in the struggle for men’s paternity rights. This survey is an opportunity for men to voluntarily document their individual cases without fear of exposure or judgement, Squires said. The collection and analysis of these situations will help to assess the degree to which paternity fraud is negatively impacting the family overall.
The survey is being shared on various social media platforms and by some men’s and paternity rights organizations including PaternityFraud.com and Women Against Paternity Fraud. The comprehensive survey covers such areas as the emotional, social and economic impact on men who are determined not to be the father and it is completely anonymous. Men who consider themselves to be victims of paternity fraud are asked to share their experiences through this tool in an effort to better document the overall impact of this issue in society.
The survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PaternityFraud will be posted until August 2022.
Dr. Squires is an Associate Professor in Sociology at Lincoln University, Missouri. She earned her Master’s in Sociology and Doctorate in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri – Columbia and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Georgia State University. She is currently working on a book on the impact of paternity testing on the family.
