Personally, i for one am not so bothered by accusations leading to public repercussions.
I imagine you'd probably feel differently if you were falsely accused of something and suffered public repercussions. Nasser's case was horrific, but it was a failure of the leadership and justice system that kept him in place despite the allegations. For me, the solution is to fix those things, not create a society where people have life altering consequences purely based on an accusation.
Hell, we have people who actually faced trial that are found innocent years later. The trial and "innocent until proven guilty" system isn't perfect as it stands (see The Innocence Project), I hardly think it needs watering down to the point that people get their lives wrecked without even the chance to have a fair chance to present their case.
There's plenty of time for punishment and consequences after the facts have been clearly established, with input from both sides and preferably independent investigation also.
As far as i have heard, no one is being convicted without due process.
They are however facing severe repercussions for "crimes" that they didn't necessarily commit.
If I get you fired from your job because I accuse you of molesting squirrels, and it turns out six months later that I'm actually a bitter arsebiscuit that just did it for the lols and you've never pleasured a forest critter in your life, that doesn't undo what you've been subjected to because of a few words I said on a whim.
If you falsely accuse someone you should be held accountable for your actions and the damages caused. But i personally dont care if there are some false accusations if thats the trade off for more abused feeling empowered to come forward.
Sure. How do you feel about false accusations leading to severe negative consequences for the accused regardless of guilt or innocence?
I'm all for false accusations being punished more harshly than they seem to be at the moment. I'm all for accusations being treated more seriously in general for the majority that are accurate, and making it safe and relatively easy for people to come forward. I'm all for making sure that the justice system is less easily swayed by those in power, or those that can afford a high powered lawyer and bully those without.
I'm not so cool with accepting that the accused faces repercussions based simply on the accusation alone. First, it goes against the "innocent until proven guilty" rule which exists for very good reasons. Second, it's incredibly abusable.
What about an ability to find justice when an abuser has the means to--for many years, it would seem, in some instances--hide and deny behavior and actions through use of their fame, status or wealth?
That's a fault with the justice and reporting systems, both of which can be amended. The answer is not to ruin people's lives based only on an accusation in the hope that statistically they turn out to have been guilty. That's not how justice works; that's how anger works when you want to find anyone possible to punish.
And should the perpetrator manage to stifle initial allegations or dissuade investigation through considerable means and measures? What options are left for the victim(s)?
Again, that's a fault with the justice system. If the justice system is failing to investigate and bring actual crimes to trial, then work to fix the justice system. Taking it to the court of public opinion gets a victory for you, maybe, if we assume that you really are a victim and that a crime was committed (which you haven't needed to prove to any degree). Fixing the system gets victories for all those who will be victims.
It's harder, but it's also fairer and a better ultimate result. And there are organisations that exist to help with real miscarriages of justice. I'd far rather see the court of public opinion used to look into the failings of the justice system as a whole than individual cases.
And the idea that someone would make false accusations against someone they merely don't like, and perhaps don't even know (more likely in a "piling on" situation than a unique accusation) is despicable.
So is the idea that someone would use their position as a medical doctor to molest young girls. Yet both sorts of people exist. And in both cases we want to punish the guilty and protect the innocent, regardless of which is the accuser and which is the accused.
Justice comes from considering the facts of each specific case. Not from applying statistics and accepting that only a few innocents are going to have their lives ruined. Yes, the justice system fails sometimes, but not because it intentionally accepts that it's going to mischaracterise innocents as guilty.