In Canada I know of at least three instances where a guy's wife accused him of abusing herself or the kids in order to assure she got initial custody of the children. This becomes important later because a Judge isn't very likely to pull the kids out of their home later in favour of their father unless there is a good reason why the mother isn't fit.
Part of the problem is that usually Social Services handles the investigation. The police only get involved when some solid evidence comes to light. They(Social Services) take as long as they like and in the end their conclusions are often murky. It is a lot safer for them to say they don't have enough evidence at this time than to say the guy was falsely accused. Social workers are usually women and almost always far left in ideology. It is a lot easier for them to empathize with the supposed victim than the man.
Having said all that I'm not sure there is a simple solution. You have to take the "victim" at their word initially and protect them. Also, if a women thinks she might face criminal charges if her case isn't proven she might remain silent out of fear. When it's a case of "he said-she said" you will often never know for certain the truth.
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