Concord Monitor                                                                                                       October 22, 2022

“Our biggest role is continuing to make sure that victims and survivors...are being represented and [to hold] perpetrators accountable,” said Pamela Keilig, a public policy specialist at the Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
 
“[We have to] make sure that our efforts across the state are up to date, relevant and victim-centered so that we aren’t punishing victims for crimes that they didn’t commit because they are trafficked.” 

Union Leader                                                                                                             October 22, 2022

​Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said domestic violence, the leading cause of homicide in the state, is a choice. 

"While mental illness can exacerbate violence issues, it does not cause violence, and the abusers still have control over their actions", Sexton said. 

InDepth NH                                                                                                               October 13, 2022

Some members of New Hampshire's press corps were invited to Thursday's special event at the state prison in Concord, a play featuring Kyle Buffum, the man convicted of trying to have a woman murdered in a brutal attack. 

Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs at the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence said this type of production featuring a man convicted in masterminding a violent attack is a nightmare for survivors. 

​“We question the need to invite the media to cover a play being put on by state prisoners. We also question why a play that includes elements of murder and strangulation is being performed as a form of entertainment in a facility where many are being housed for those exact crimes,” Grady Sexton said. “This is anything but entertaining for victims; in fact, this is their worst nightmare. Seeing the face and name of their perpetrator in the news can significantly set a victim back in their healing process. A victim of an attempted murder should never have to wake up to this egregious headline, and neither should members of a community who were shook by these heinous acts of violence.”

WMUR                                                                                                                   September 15, 2022

Victim advocates said the case underscores the responsibility of people in positions of power and the vulnerability of those they are supposed to protect.

"Victims face so many barriers in reporting in any kind of case, but when the individual who has committed the offense is a person in a position of trust or authority, it can be even more difficult," said Lyn Schollett, executive director of the Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.

Schollett called the vulnerability of the alleged victims unique.

"People who are incarcerated have a lot less autonomy anyway and often fear that the system that they report to won't believe them because of their own past, and that's wrong," she said.

​New Hampshire Bulletin                                                                                        September 12, 2022

The new guidance was applauded by the state's Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

“As the Attorney General’s Office has consistently said throughout the legislative process, this law will have no impact on the ability of law enforcement officers in New Hampshire to remove firearms from those who are legally prohibited from possessing or purchasing them, including those convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence,” Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the coalition, said in a statement Wednesday. “Additionally, this law will not have an impact on survivors who seek domestic violence protective orders. With 50 percent of all homicides in New Hampshire related to domestic violence, it is critical that laws surrounding this crime remain effective ways to prevent future violence.”

Laconia Daily Sun                                                                                                      June 27, 2022

NH Bulletin                                                                                                                 June 22, 2022

Attorneys representing nearly 600 former Youth Development Center residents in abuse claims against the state have asked a judge to move forward with litigation on 450 of those cases. They say their clients are proceeding with their lawsuits because they continue to distrust the settlement option offered by the state.
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Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the coalition, said some victims are unhappy about the way awards are calculated.

A victim who receives $20,000 for a single instance of sexual abuse would not necessarily receive $40,000 for two instances of sexual abuse or $60,000 for three, according to the draft rubric. Instead, the victim would receive something between $20,000 and $60,000 as determined by a complicated “frequency multiplier” established in the draft guidelines.

“For sexual abuse, add the number of instances of the most severe level of abuse suffered plus one-half the number of instances of the two next lower levels of abuse suffered,” it reads. “Instances of abuse three of four levels lower, if any, shall not be counted.”

The Berlin Sun                                                                                                               June 6, 2022

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) has been instrumental in getting the Senate to allocate funding for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and Thursday she visited Coos County Family Health Service’s Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence Crisis Center in Berlin.

For an hour, the senator spoke with local advocates about the increased funding and asked what was working and what is needed.

Joi Smith, program director for the N.H. Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, said with the cost of living increasing, advocates are having trouble helping survivors find a way to become self-sustaining. She said there is a shortage of housing and rental properties, forcing people to stay in shelters for extended periods of time because there is no real estate for them to move into that is within their budget.

New Hampshire Bulletin                                                                                                    June 1, 2022

The hundreds of people alleging they were sexually and physically abused while held at the former Youth Development Center will be able to seek compensation from the state beginning Jan. 1.

Victim advocates reiterated their opposition to the bill last week, criticizing what they see as unacceptably low settlement caps. They said the legislation also fails to give victims sufficient time to file and are concerned that it excludes emotional and non-contact sexual abuse, such as being the subject of child abuse images. 

Critics include the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. 

“The state of New Hampshire had an opportunity to establish an unprecedented model settlement process that could have exemplified what it means to hold institutions accountable and demonstrate unwavering support for victims,” said coalition Executive Director Lyn Schollett in a statement. “However, what passed the House and Senate in the form of HB 1677 falls extremely short of living up to what has been promoted as a just system for victims.”

Manchester Ink Link                                                                                                   May 29, 2022

Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday signed into law House Bill 1677, which creates a claims process for victims of abuse in the state-operated Youth Development Center, formerly known as the John H. Sununu Youth Services Center, located on River Road in Manchester,

​Other groups that have been critical of the limited scope of HB1677 include NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and CHILD USA, a national children’s advocacy group.

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