Among those in attendance was Tiffany Roberts, a survivor of domestic and sexual violence. Now she's an advocate for victims.
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“We still have so much work to do,” she said. “There's been so much sharing of stories, but we need to honor that with action.”

But what could be going away, according to advocates at the Turning Points Network, is key federal funding. Officials say just over 50 percent of the group's overall budget is made up of federal funds.

"The one in particular that concerns us right now is our transitional housing program. It is the program that we are able to use to help survivors get right into permanent housing," said Turning Points' Debra Mozden.

There are also 12 shelters throughout the state that give sexual assault victims a place to stay. The Claremont shelter is already funded through the end of June. But with the government shutdown ongoing and no end in sight, women staying at the shelter are already worrying about possibly being forced to find a new home.
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"Genuine anxiety about what is going to happen in their lives," said Rep. Kuster. She has shared her own sexual assault story in the past and says it's an issue that affects people in all walks of life. "These are woman that are in transition. They are trying to leave abusive relationships. They are trying to get started in their own world and their own financial security."

​Amanda Grady Sexton of the coalition said crisis centers rely on federal funding to help survivors access emergency housing, to ensure that sexual assault victims have support when going to the hospital for a rape it, and to help victims of stalking develop a safety plan.

Seven states have already passed similar legislation, Massimilla said. New Hampshire was one of the first states to criminalize human trafficking in 2009, said Jessica Eskeland, public policy specialist with the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence.

It’s still an issue here, Eskeland said.

“A lot of folks think that trafficking is much more of an urban problem and that maybe it isn’t here in New Hampshire, which is, unfortunately, very much untrue,” Eskeland said. “By virtue of being on the I-95 corridor, connecting Maine all the way down to Miami, we are very much at risk for this activity.”
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Eskeland said it can be hard to get sex trafficking data – partly because many victims are afraid to come forward and risk being charged with other crimes.

The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, which trains nurses to examine victims, estimates that 250-300 kits are collected statewide each year. Amanda Grady Sexton, the coalition’s public affairs director, called the backlog unacceptable and said the state must provide law enforcement and the crime lab with additional resources to modernize its system.
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“When a victim of sexual assault decides to undergo an exam for evidence collection, it’s critical that their rape kit is processed quickly and that the evidence is properly tracked and stored. No victim of sexual assault should ever be left wondering when or if their rape kit will be analyzed,” she said.

“The first time we were made aware of (the untested kits), and the first time there was actually an analysis done of it, was just prior to the grant application by the Department of Justice,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
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“We’re living in a world where you can track your pizza online but you can’t track your rape kit in New Hampshire. It’s ridiculous,” she said.