The report today issued by St. Paul’s regarding the sexual abuse of countless victims highlights the urgent need to reform New Hampshire’s civil and criminal statutes of limitations  for sexual assault victims. Such reform will give victims the opportunity to seek justice and hold their abusers accountable for their crimes. Today in New Hampshire, those who sexually abuse children may go unpunished because of outdated and ineffective laws that limit the timeframe in which a victim can access the courts – child victims of sexual abuse only have until their 30th birthday to file a civil suit and until their 40th birthday to press criminal charges. The experience of sexual assault, which is often at the hands of a trusted adult, can result in victims feeling confused, scared, shamed and humiliated, which is why it is normal for many sexual assault victims to wait years and even decades before reporting sexual abuse. Law enforcement and the courts must be given the ability to take action when victims are ready. This is critical to ensuring justice for victims as well as the protection of our entire community.
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Extensive research shows the devastating impacts that child abuse has on victims.  Long-term impacts include depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, chronic mental and physical health problems, increased risk of incarceration, substance abuse, and alcoholism. Due to the intense trauma, it is not uncommon for victims to struggle for decades before understanding that these issues are the direct result of the abuse they experienced as children.

Sexual abuse is all too common and results in dangerous consequences for victims, their families, and the greater community. The first step towards preventing these crimes is to remove the civil and criminal statute of limitations in sexual assault and abuse cases. It is essential to establish laws that acknowledge the true nature of these crimes and the incredible impact they have on victims. Creating an environment where victims are encouraged to come forward at any point will allow us to hold sexual predators accountable and create safer homes, schools, and communities.

NHCADSV will continue to work with victims and the legislature to extend or eliminate all statutes of limitations for both adult and child victims of sexual abuse to enable them to heal and seek justice.

Crisis center advocates across NH are available 24/7 to support victims and their loved ones. To speak to a confidential advocate, please call the statewide hotline at 1-800-277-5570.

About the Coalition
NHCADSV is a statewide network of 13 independent member programs committed to ending sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking, through direct services to victims, community education, and public policy advocacy. The NHCADSV and its 13 member programs do not discriminate based on gender, age, health status (including HIV-positive), physical, mental, or emotional ability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, socio-economic status, race, national origin, immigration status, or religious or political affiliation. For more information visit www.nhcadsv.org.
 

Concord, NH – Crime Victims’ Rights Day events are held annually to honor all victims of crime in New Hampshire. It serves as a memorial and also a reminder that all victims of crime deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. This celebration is sponsored by the N.H. Attorney General’s Office, the United States Attorney's Office - NH District, the AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program, the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and Victims, Inc.
Media are invited to attend all events including the memorial service. The press conference will be heavily attended by victims and their family members, as well as members of law enforcement and the victim advocacy community.
Schedule of Events:
 
Sunday, April 2nd
 
Memorial Service at St. Paul’s Church, St. Paul's Church, 21 Centre St, Concord, NH, 03301, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – To pay tribute to all victims of crime. A reception featuring Victim’s Inc. quilts will immediately follow the service.
 
Monday, April 3rd
 
Press Conference and Award Presentation at St. Paul’s Church, St. Paul's Church, 21 Centre St, Concord, NH, 03301, at 10 a.m. – Governor Sununu has been invited to speak, along with Deputy Attorney General Ann Rice, Acting United States Attorney for
the District of New Hampshire John Farley, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence Lyn Schollett, Pat Rainboth of Victims, Inc., and representatives from the New Hampshire AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program. The press conference will include a tribute to an individual who has gone above and beyond in their work on behalf of victims of crime. Emily Murphy will be the recipient of the 2017 National Visionary Voice Award. Over the last 12 years, Emily has been a Violence Prevention Educator for HAVEN, one of the 13 member programs of the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. During her time at HAVEN, Emily has worked tirelessly to deliver Personal Body Safety, Media Literacy and Healthy Relationship programming to thousands of students in NH.
 
The press conference will be immediately followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony for the New Hampshire Clothesline Project Display. This annual display is organized by NH’s AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program on the State House Lawn (weather permitting) immediately following the press conference; otherwise it will be displayed at St. Paul’s Church. This project highlights the pain and healing experienced by survivors of domestic and sexual violence. It gives survivors and their loved ones a way to cope with and express what they have experienced by writing messages on t-shirts.


About Crime Victims’ Rights Week: The week of April 2 – 8, 2017, is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW).  This annual observance, first designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, seeks to increase general public awareness of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime.  The theme for 2017 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is “Strength. Resilience. Justice” to reflect a vision for the future in which all victims are strengthened by the response they receive, organizations are resilient in response to challenges, and communities are able to seek collective justice and healing.
For more information go to https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/. #NCVRW2017


 
About the Coalition
NHCADSV is a statewide network of 13 independent member programs committed to ending sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking, through direct services to victims, community education, and public policy advocacy. The NHCADSV and its 13 member programs do not discriminate based on gender, age, health status (including HIV-positive), physical, mental, or emotional ability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, socio-economic status, race, national origin, immigration status, or religious or political affiliation. For more information visit www.nhcadsv.org.

Concord, NH –This February high schools across NH will participate in the first ever statewide teen dating violence awareness project. Granite State RESPECT Week was developed by the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV) and its 13 member programs and will run from Monday, February 13th through Friday, February 17th. The need for a teen-centered campaign is evident as Loveisrespect reports that 1 in 3 adolescents in the U.S. are a victim of physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner and according to the 2015 New Hampshire Youth Risk Behavior Survey, up to 20% of New Hampshire youth experience teen dating violence.
Goals of Granite State RESPECT Week:

• Raise awareness about teen dating violence
• Connect teens to support services
• Promote healthy relationships
• Foster a culture of respect in high schools across New Hampshire.

Teens throughout NH have helped to design this project and are enthusiastic to help launch the campaign next month. “RESPECT Week is an opportunity for high school students to add their voice as to how we need to treat each other,” said Kingswood High School student-athlete Burke Ruel. As a student-athlete, Burke has used this project to mobilize NH high school athletes to stand together in raising awareness about teen dating violence. “Athletes never walk away from a challenge and that’s why I’m asking all athletes from around the state to join me working to end teen dating violence and participate in Granite State RESPECT Week,” said Ruel.

NH teachers are energized to take action and excited about the opportunity to participate in this project. “We want to empower students to make healthy choices and we are excited for our student body come to come together for a week filled with respect,” said Leslie Barrie, a physical education and health teacher at Concord High School. “Concord High School is excited about implementing Granite State RESPECT Week!  RESPECT Week takes our health class curriculum and makes it a schoolwide initiative,” Barry shared.

Each day of Granite State RESPECT Week has an identified theme, school-wide activities, and social media challenges to engage teens in important conversations around healthy and respectful relationships. Additionally, each day emphasizes the resources available to students, including the crisis center in their area that collaborates with schools to provide age-appropriate prevention education and confidential support services to teens in need of help. Schools and students are encouraged to share their Granite State RESPECT Week experiences widely using #RespectWeekNH. This hashtag will be used in daily social media challenges to award prizes and recognize students across the state for their efforts in raising awareness about teen dating violence.
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NH High Schools committed to participate in Granite State RESPECT Week 2017:

• Dover High School
• Concord High School
• Oyster River High School
• Gorham High School
• Colebrook Academy
• Newport Middle & High School
• Milford High School
• Kingswood High School
• Souhegan High School
• Alvirne High School
• Monadnock Waldorf High School
• Monadnock Regional Middle High School
• Nashua IMPACCT Academy

With two weeks left before Granite State RESPECT Week takes center stage, high schools across the state still have time to register! The registration deadline is Thursday, February 2nd.
For more information on Granite State RESPECT Week, click here.
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Teen Dating Violence Statistics:

• Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.
• 1 in 10 high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a partner. 
• Only 33% of teens who were in a violent relationship ever told anyone about the abuse.
• Nearly half of teens who experience dating violence report that incidents of abuse took place in a school building or on school grounds.
• High school students who experience physical violence in a dating relationship are more likely to use drugs and alcohol, are at greater risk of suicide and are much more likely to carry patterns of abuse into future relationships.
• 81% of parents surveyed either believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they do not know if it is one.

About the Coalition
NHCADSV is a statewide network of 13 independent member programs committed to ending sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking, through direct services to victims, community education, and public policy advocacy. The NHCADSV and its 13 member programs do not discriminate based on gender, age, health status (including HIV-positive), physical, mental, or emotional ability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, socio-economic status, race, national origin, immigration status, or religious or political affiliation. For more information visit www.nhcadsv.org. 

On Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the New Hampshire Legislative Office Building in Concord, Room 204, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety committee will hold a hearing on a bill that would make it more difficult to convict sexual predators in New Hampshire. HB 106 provides that a victim's testimony in a sexual assault case shall require corroboration when the defendant has no prior convictions for sexual assault. This bill would create a new burden of proof for victims of sexual assault that would require either DNA evidence or an eyewitness to the assault, and this new standard would only apply to crimes of sexual assault.

The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence strongly opposes this bill and will be joined by several prosecutors, mental health experts, and victims of sexual assault at the hearing on Tuesday to testify in opposition to HB 106.
 “This bill would perpetuate the faulty idea that victims lie about being raped,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, Public Policy Director of the Coalition.  “It also sends a message to the public that here in New Hampshire, a sexual assault victim’s sworn testimony isn’t good enough, even if it’s been viewed as credible by 12 jurors.”

Sexual offenders are savvy, and strategically target vulnerable victims at times when they are confident they won't be detected. Oftentimes, offenders position themselves in places of authority or trust, posturing themselves in such a way that they seem more credible than their victim. This bill not only supports that strategy, but gives rapists even more protection when they use this method. 
Sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes in the country. Nationally, approximately 2 out of every 3 sexual assaults will never be reported to law enforcement. When victims do report in New Hampshire, less than 3% of perpetrators ever plead guilty or are convicted.  This bill would make it even more difficult to bring sex offenders to justice.
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The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence is asking the public to reach out to the state’s Criminal Justice committee members to ask them to strengthen NH's sexual assault laws - not to support a bill that makes it more difficult to hold sexual predators accountable.

The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV) is a statewide network committed to ending sexual violence, domestic violence and stalking. The NHCADSV and its 13 member programs do not discriminate based on gender, age, health status (including HIV-positive), physical, mental, or emotional ability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, socio-economic status, race, national origin, immigration status, or religious or political affiliation. Online at www.nhcadsv.org.