HB1651

Currently, there is a significant gap in civil protections for survivors of sexual assault who do not qualify for an order under the domestic violence statute NH RSA 173-B (as they may not have a qualifying relationship with the perpetrator) or the stalking statute 633:3-a (as a sexual assault may be a single event not constituting a course of conduct), Sexual assault is the most underreported crime and it is critically important that survivors of sexual assault have a path to protection outside of the criminal justice process. This bill would fill that gap, while placing relatively minimal burden on the courts, law enforcement, and taxpayers as this protective order would largely follow processes already in place for domestic violence and stalking.

Imagine your daughter/son as a victim of sexual assault possibly by a fellow employee. She/he should be protected despite their relationship to the offender. I support these changes to protect Sexual Assault victims no matter their relationship.

As a survivor of rape and molestation, we need to do everything in our power to support the victims and not make them feel unheard or believed. Protecting the kits and the care that goes into these cases needs to stay and receive the extra protection to keep the mindset of those affect feeling a little bit safe during their situation. Anything we can do to help, we should do.

This law is very important to support victims of sexual abuse. We need to do more for the victims. Cheryl Bates

Rape kits provide essential evidence, which must be properly handled and preserved in order for victims to have access to to everything which brings them the best chance for justice, and healing.

As a survivor of sexual assault, as well as someone who has worked with survivors for the past 15+ years, I cannot say enough how strongly I support this bill. Currently, there is an unequal playing field in New Hampshire with respect to civil protections for victims of sexual and domestic violence. Across the hundreds of survivors I have worked with over the years, the relationship between the survivor and their assailant is not the most determining factor in the fear they feel -- it is the violation they experienced and the betrayal of trust. Given that the vast majority of research estimates that between 80-90% of survivors of sexual assault know their perpetrators in some way, this increases the odds that a survivor will have to, after their assault, share space with this individual and navigate the feelings of fear they experience after a brutal interpersonal attack. Under the current law, if they did not have an ongoing sexual or romantic relationship with this person, they must wait for further harm to be done to them, experiencing stalking, in order to be eligible for an order of protection. A 2022 study by Basile, Smith, Wang, & Friar in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma found that, in the United States, an estimated 9.8 million women and 1.9 million men experience both sexual victimization and stalking by the same perpetrator. Nearly 25% of those individuals experienced this violence by someone other than an intimate partner. Obtaining a protective order on the basis of sexual assault could prevent the further harm of stalking from happening to these individuals in the first place by providing a civil protection from their attacker BEFORE the violence expands from sexual victimization to ongoing stalking. In the past 15 years, I have worked with so many survivors who have experienced sexual assault that caused them to feel fear so substantial they had to alter their day-to-day routines, change residences, leave jobs or organizations they loved, just to feel safe again. These survivors were assaulted by roommates, friends' boyfriends or spouses, co-workers, friends, acquaintances. They should not have to uproot their lives just because their offender wasn't their partner. They should not have to wait for further harm to come in the form of stalking for them to be eligible for an order of protection. Civil remedies such as protective orders can often provide a survivor with enough feelings of security to finally breathe again, to exit from states of terror and hypervigilance and truly evaluate their options. With safety and distance, they are better able to evaluate their other options of recourse and pursue justice, if they so choose. For these reasons and so many more, providing sexual assault protection orders in New Hampshire, (like already exist in so many states, including Alaska, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Washington) have the potential to further support not just the safety and wellbeing of survivors, but also public safety and justice as well.

I support this bill because the wording of NH's protection orders is too narrow for the reality of how and when domestic and sexual abuse and stalking occur. They are also written on outdated assumptions about how perpetrators and victims are connected. As a result, people very much in need of protection from perpetrator are unable to "qualify" because they abuse they're experiencing doesn't match exactly the language of these petitions. HB 1651 is a good start on providing victims with potentially life-saving protection from the perpetrators of these violent crimes.

I support this bill. It closes key gaps in existing law, strengthening protections for victims and survivors of sexual assault.

I support protecting the rights of sexual assault victims.

This helps ensure protections extend to all sexual assault survivors in NH, regardless of their relationship to the offender.

We must do all we can to protect and support rape victims.

I want to support and protect any survivors of abuse and sexual assault. I support providing survivors information about the location and status of their rape kits and making sure that evidence is preserved for as long as needed.

This is an excellent bill. Survivors did nothing wrong. They need our help.

HB 1651 gives sexual assault survivors meaningful protection and closes gaps in current law. It strengthens safety and survivor rights while preserving due process.

The fear and isolation that victims of sexual assault experience can be diminished by passing this bill. Too often after an assault, victims feel further alienated and unsupported by a legal system that places obstacles in their path. Much more support and understanding is needed and this bill moves our society in that direction.

Protecting victims of sexual assault and ensuring their rights is of the utmost importance. Please support this bill.

I’m shocked we do not already do all of this. We need to protect victims. Especially children who can’t report until later in their lives. No pedophile protections in NH. Enact this bill.

It is truly appalling This is not already in place where if somebody is sexually assaulted, you cannot put a restraining order on that as silent unless you were in a relationship with them. Without the ability to issue a temporary restraining order against the sealant, it leads to potential worsening of trauma and PTSD for the victim.

Dear Representatives, Please support HB 1651. This bill extends rights to those who have been sexually assaulted whether the perpetrator knows the victim or not. All victims of sexual assault need protection. Please support HB 1651. Rebecca B. MacKenzie, LICSW Claremont, NH

This bill addresses gaps in NH current laws that will protect survivors. I support this bill and hope that it is given your full attention.

I fully support the NH Legislature in helping victims of sexuak abuse by giving them further protection. Additionally, rape kits should have been preserved all along, so this is a must.

As a survivor of sexual assault, I support this bill.

To fill a gap in the current law, NH will protect those citizens who need it