University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Peer-Reviewed and Other Publications
Prevention Innovations Research Center (PIRC)
1-1-2011
Sexual Assault in New Hampshire: A Report from the New
Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
David Laflamme
University of New Hampshire
Grace Mattern
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and SexualViolence
Mary M. Moynihan
University of New Hampshire, Mary.Moynihan@unh.edu
Sharyn J. Potter
University of New Hampshire, Sharyn.Potter@unh.edu
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/pirc
Recommended Citation
Laflamme D, Mattern G, Moynihan MM, and Potter SJ. (Collaborators are listed alphabetically). (2011).
Sexual Assault in New Hampshire: A Report from the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and
Sexual Violence. Report released January, 2011.
This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Prevention Innovations Research Center (PIRC) at
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Peer-Reviewed and Other
Publications by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact Scholarly.Communication@unh.edu.
Sexual Assault in New Hampshire
A report from the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence
Sexual assault is a crime that is difficult to discuss. The
common public misconceptions about sexual assault
contribute to the shame and stigma that victims experience,
leading to low reporting rates, low prosecution rates, and
few jury convictions of perpetrators. Most people would
rather not think or talk about sexual assault, helping to hide
the realities of sexual violence by believing that these crimes
only happen to people who have somehow contributed to
their own assaults. The silence about sexual assault also
contributes to the belief that sexual assault rarely happens,
reinforcing the lack of public recognition of the problem.
The New Hampshire Violence Against Women and Men
Surveys, conducted over the last four years, help to provide
a realistic assessment of the lifetime experience and
characteristics of sexual assault among residents of our
state. The full results from both Surveys have previously
been published. This report focuses only on sexual assault,
in order to further explore the findings, and draw more
attention to the prevalence and consequences of this
crime. At a time when more victims than ever are seeking
services for sexual assault, it is crucial that citizens across
the state understand how they can contribute to
communities that provide justice and support for victims,
and accountability for perpetrators.
A significant finding of both Surveys is that although adults
were surveyed, the majority of assaults reported happened
to young women, girls and boys. The high prevalence of
sexual assault in New Hampshire has serious consequences
that affect the health and well-being of communities. Both
New Hampshire Surveys and other research show that
victims of sexual violence more often report poorer health,
are at significantly increased risk for mental health and
substance abuse problems, and are negatively affected
economically.
The Surveys
A collaborative project of the University of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services, and
the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV), the Violence Against Women and
Violence Against Men Surveys found rates of sexual assault that were higher than those in a national survey. The New
Hampshire surveys were conducted in 2006 and 2007 using questions and methods from the National Violence Against
Women Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Justice in
1996. Interviews were conducted with 508 adult women and 1,012 adult men in New Hampshire.
It is important to note that figures reported in the Surveys are conservative, since survey respondents were asked only
about the most recent assaults. The number of total assaults, and the proportion of assaults committed against children,
could be greater than those reported. If a victim was assaulted at age 24, any previous assaults of the same type at a
younger age would not be included in this report.
Nearly one in four women and one in twenty men in New Hampshire have been sexually assaulted.
The number of women and men combined who have been the victim of a sexual assault could fill Fenway Park almost three
and a half times.
The New Hampshire Violence Against Women Survey found that 22.7% of women have been the victim of a sexual
assault, with 19.5% having been the victim of sexual assault with penetration. These figures represent 112,909 New
Hampshire women who have ever experienced sexual assault. These rates of sexual assault are significantly higher than
those found in the National Violence Against Women Survey, in which 17.6% of women reported having been sexually
assaulted, and 14.8% reported being a victim of sexual assault including penetration.
The New Hampshire Violence Against Men Survey found
that 4.9% of men have been sexually assaulted, including
3.7% who reported a sexual assault that included
penetration. These figures represent 24,200 New
Hampshire men. These sexual assault rates are higher
than those found in the National Violence Against
Women Survey (which also surveyed men), in which 3%
of men reported having been sexually assaulted and 2.1%
reported being penetrated.
Consistent with other research, men and women reporting
sexual assault also reported poorer physical health. In
the New Hampshire Surveys, women and men who
reported having a chronic disease or medical condition
were more than twice as likely to report sexual violence
compared to those who did not report having a chronic
disease or medical condition.
Sexual assault impacts men and women of all
age groups, but young women and children of
both genders are at greatest risk for sexual
violence. The 62,990 individuals, who were
sexually assaulted before the age of 18, would fill
875 school buses that would cover 6.6 miles if
parked bumper to bumper.
Sexual violence is a crime in which youth are particularly
at risk. Forty-one percent of the most recent sexual
assaults of females reported in the New Hampshire
survey occurred before the victim’s 18th birthday, and
83% occurred before the age of 25. Sixty-nine percent
of the most recent sexual assaults committed against
males in New Hampshire occurred before the victim was
18. Fifty-one percent of men who reported having been
sexually assaulted said it occurred when they were age
12 or younger; another 18% said they were assaulted
between ages 13 and 17.
Numerous other studies have found links between sexual
assault and long-term health effects. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention-funded Adverse
Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study has shown that
adverse childhood experiences, including physical and
sexual abuse, increase the victim’s risk for physical and
mental health difficulties and substance abuse problems.
The ACE Study findings suggest that childhood abuse is a
major risk factor for poor quality of life and the leading
causes of illness and death in the United States.
The perpetrator is almost always someone the
victim knows
Consistent with previous research, the data show clearly
that for the majority of victims of sexual violence, the
perpetrator of the most recent assault they experienced is
someone whom they know. In New Hampshire, as
elsewhere in the United States, a victim of sexual assault
is most likely to be harmed by someone in her or his own
circle of friends and family.
Again, these figures are conservative, as only the most
recent assaults that men and women experienced were
reported. This underscores the finding that although
these Surveys were conducted with men and women
throughout the age spectrum, the majority of victims of
sexual assault in New Hampshire were children or young
adults when they were assaulted.
Sexual violence is a health problem for men and
women in New Hampshire
2
The Majority of Perpetrators of Sexual Assault
are Male
in explicit sexual acts, including forced intercourse, oral
and anal sex, and being sexually assaulted with an object.
About a quarter of all victims were victims of attempted
sexual assault.
Men committed the majority of sexual assaults reported
in both Surveys. It is important to note that although the
majority of perpetrators are male, the vast majority of
men have never committed a sexual assault. Based on
the sample of incidents reported by the women in this
survey, 100% of victims of sexual assault reported having
at least one perpetrator who was male. Only one
participant indicated that she had been the victim of a
female perpetrator. The survey of men found that 16.7%
of perpetrators were female, and 83.3% were male.
There is Not Universal Awareness of Services for
Victims of Sexual Assault
The NH Violence Against Men Survey found that only
half of survey respondents knew how to contact their
local crisis center for help regarding sexual assault or
intimate partner violence. While it is encouraging that
half of men know where to turn for help, or where to
refer female victims, it is important that everyone know
about local services for victims. The NH Violence Against
Women Survey found that 72% of survey respondents
knew how to contact their local crisis center for help.
While this is a more encouraging result, it also shows that
28% of women did not know about local services.
Sexual Assault Includes a Variety of Forced
Sexual Acts
The sexual assaults reported by male and female survey
respondents showed that victims were forced to engage
Findings and Recommendations
FINDING
RECOMMENDATION
Nearly one in four women and one in twenty men in New
Hampshire have been sexually assaulted.
Transform community understanding of the realities of
sexual assault and promote primary prevention programs.
Young women and children of both genders are at greatest
risk for sexual assault.
Promote primary prevention programs with a focus on
children and youth.
Sexual violence is a health problem in New Hampshire.
Expand funding for victim services in New Hampshire.
The perpetrator is almost always someone the victim
knows.
Transform community understanding of the realities of
sexual assault and promote primary prevention programs.
The majority of perpetrators of sexual assault are male.
Engage men in anti-sexual violence efforts.
Sexual assault includes a variety of forced sexual acts.
Transform community understanding of the realities of
sexual assault and promote primary prevention programs.
There is not universal awareness of services for victims of
sexual assault.
Support outreach and awareness activities.
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Transform Community Understanding of the Realities
of Sexual Assault: The data from the Violence Against
Women and Men Surveys provide important insights into
the realities of sexual assault. Knowing that one in four
women have been sexually assaulted, most commonly by
someone they know, and most likely when they are
young, makes it difficult to maintain the attitude that
victims are somehow responsible for their own assaults,
that sexual assault involves strangers who are motivated
by irresistible sexual urges, or that sexual assault rarely
happens. The fact that sexual assault of males happens
almost exclusively to children again challenges the myth
that victims are responsible for assaults.
sexual violence on campus. NHCADSV has collaborated
with the New Hampshire Division of Public Health to
develop a Sexual Violence Primary Prevention Plan that
calls on all levels of the community to engage in
addressing the realities of sexual assault in our state. All
of these efforts are critical, and need ongoing support
from government, private funders and communities to
achieve the goal of preventing sexual violence before it
can begin.
Engage men in anti-sexual violence efforts: Although
men are the primary perpetrators of sexual assault, the
vast majority of men have never committed a sexual
assault. The majority of men who are not perpetrators
have a crucial role to play in speaking out against sexual
violence. By stepping in before sexual violence occurs,
while it is occurring or supporting victims after it has
happened, challenging commonly held misperceptions
of sexual assault, nonviolent men stand as strong role
models who respect women and children’s sexual
boundaries and promote the social transformation that is
necessary to end sexual violence.
Perpetrators get away with their crimes so often partly
because of the reluctance of victims to report sexual
assault due to the shame, stigma and victim-blaming that
is still common in our society. When individuals hold fast
to the myths of sexual assault, there is an unwitting
collusion with offenders, allowing them to continue
assaulting children and young women without fearing
that their crimes will be reported and prosecuted.
Compounding this problem is the fact that children who
are sexually assaulted often do not understand that the
assaults are wrong, due to the grooming of victims and
the violations of trust that perpetrators employ in order to
have access to their victims.
Support Outreach and Awareness Activities: In order
to be assisted by the NHCADSV’s 14 member programs,
victims need to know about services and the importance
of trauma-informed care. It remains vital that outreach
and awareness programs be continued so that victims
know where to turn for help to address the trauma of
sexual assault that may result in negative health
consequences. Several years ago, NHCADSV was
awarded funding by the NH Department of Justice to
produce a public awareness campaign with the simple
message that anyone can be a victim of sexual assault,
and that help is available through the NHCADSV member
programs. The funding enabled NHCADSV to buy
significant air time for television and radio spots, providing
more exposure than ever to public messages about sexual
assault. During the two years following this awareness
campaign, the numbers of victims contacting member
programs for assistance increased significantly. Ongoing
funding to support continued outreach and awareness
efforts, across a broad range of media, would help ensure
that public attitudes about sexual assault begin to shift,
and that victims would know where to turn for support.
One of the most effective prevention measures possible
would be to create community understanding and
support for all victims so they can report the crime of
sexual assault the first time an offender commits a crime.
For children, this means providing developmentally
appropriate education about sexual abuse and ensuring
children who are victims have safe adults to tell. This
would prevent perpetrators from continuing to assault
others, which research has shown to be common, and
would also help victims understand they are not to blame
for the assaults, and help them to heal effectively from
the trauma they have experienced.
Promote Primary Prevention Programs with a Focus
on Children and Youth: Sexual violence prevention,
especially targeting youth, is a priority for the NHCADSV
and its member programs, yet there is extremely limited
financial support for these efforts. The member programs
of NHCADSV are engaged in a process to develop
evidence-based, primary prevention programs for sexual
assault through our Prevention Education Committee.
Prevention Innovations at the University of New
Hampshire has developed a Bystander Education program
and multimedia campaign that has been shown to
increase positive, active bystander behaviors to prevent
Expand Funding for Victim Services in NH: The New
Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual
Violence is a comprehensive network of 14 member
programs that provide services to victims of sexual and
domestic violence. Free, confidential services for victims
include 24 hours a day, seven days a week hotlines,
emergency shelter, crisis intervention, assistance with
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Survey Design and Description
obtaining restraining orders, accompaniment for rape
victims during forensic sexual assault exams, individual
counseling and support groups. Recent federal and
private funding cuts have threatened the stability of
many of these programs at a time when they are serving
more victims who have more and more complex needs.
Additionally, given the findings in both the NH Violence
Surveys that most victims are assaulted in their youth,
support for programs that address victimization of
children is needed to prevent the health, mental health
and substance abuse problems that arise from trauma
experienced during youth.
The NH Violence Against Women and Men Surveys
were random digit dial surveys of adult females and
males in the state of New Hampshire. Interviews were
conducted with 508 adult females and 1,012 adult
males in New Hampshire. The demographics of the
survey participants were compared to the 2005 NH
Census Data and are comparable to the larger population
with a few exceptions. Men and women ages 18-24
were underrepresented as were men and women with
annual household incomes less than $25,000. Research
in the field finds that younger and poorer women and
men are at higher risk for sexual violence which supports
the conclusion that the survey data provide a conservative
estimate of the prevalence of sexual violence in NH.
Conclusion
We cannot afford to ignore the high rates of sexual
violence in our state. We need to strengthen our resolve
to directly confront sexual assault, and to support efforts
to create communities, societal systems and institutions
that support victims and hold abusers accountable for
the harm they cause. Fortunately, New Hampshire has
a comprehensive network of local programs to provide
direct services to victims, and has a strong history of
collaborative efforts directed at improving societal and
systemic responses to victims.
When considering the findings, it is important to note
that the Surveys measured lifetime prevalence of assaults,
and did not determine where the assaults occurred.
Survey respondents were asked if they had ever been
victims of specific behaviors that constitute sexual
violence, and if they answered yes, were then asked
about the most recent assault. While New Hampshire
has a higher percentage of women and men currently
living in the state who have been a victim of sexual
assault than the national survey found, it can not be
concluded that the assaults occurred in New Hampshire.
However, we have found no evidence that victims are
more likely to relocate to New Hampshire. The rate of
assault could also be higher than the numbers indicated,
as victims who were assaulted more than once only
reported on the most recent assault. A limitation of the
survey is that men were not asked about forced
intercourse, as there is a presumption that the prevalence
rates are very low. Future surveys would provide an
opportunity to include that question.
The alarming number of women and men in New
Hampshire who have experienced sexual assault,
primarily as children and youth, underscores the need
for effective primary prevention programs, for information
and support for victims, and to raise awareness of the
prevalence, realities and consequences of sexual assault.
While many of the recommendations presented above
would require additional funding, an acknowledged
difficulty, the most important recommendation costs
nothing. If each member of our communities understood
the realities of sexual assault, spoke out to support
victims, and held perpetrators accountable, we could
create a safer, healthier and more just state.
The interviews were conducted by professional
interviewers between October 26 and November 20,
2006 (females) and October 26 and November 20,
2007 (males). The studies were funded by a grant from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a grant
from the University of New Hampshire Outreach
Scholars Program and the NH Division of Public Health
Services. Further information regarding the research
design can be obtained by contacting NHCADSV.
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Research Team (listed alphabetically):
For further information about or copies of the NH
Violence Against Women and Men Surveys, or this report, contact NHCADSV at 224-8893.
David Laflamme, Ph.D., MPH
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Health Management & Policy
New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy & Practice
University of New Hampshire
&
Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologist
NH DHHS DPHS
Mary Moynihan, Ph.D.
Women’s Studies Program and Prevention Innovations
University of New Hampshire
Sharyn Potter, Ph.D., MPH
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology and Prevention Innovations
University of New Hampshire
Grace Mattern
Executive Director
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual
Violence
NHCADSV Crisis Centers and Contact Information:
Response to Sexual and Domestic Violence
(Berlin, Colebrook, Lancaster)
*office number (603) 752-5679
The Support Center at Burch House
(Littleton, Woodsville)
*office number (603) 444-0624
Turning Points Network
(Claremont, Newport)
*office number (603) 543-0155
YWCA Crisis Service
(Manchester, Derry)
*office number (603) 625-5785
Rape and Domestic Violence Crisis Center
(Concord)
*office number (603) 225-7376
Bridges: Domestic and Sexual Violence Support
(Nashua, Milford)
*office number (603) 889-0858
Starting Point
(Conway, Ossipee)
*office number (603) 356-7993
Voices Against Violence
(Plymouth)
*office number (603) 536-5999
Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program
(SHARPP)
(UNH, Durham)
*office number (603) 862-3494
A Safe Place
(Portsmouth, Rochester, Salem)
*office number (603) 436-4619
Sexual Assault Support Services
(Portsmouth, Rochester)
*office number (603) 436-4107
Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention
(Keene, Jaffrey, Peterborough)
*office number (603) 352-3782
New Beginnings
(Laconia and all of Belknap County)
*office number (603) 528-6511
Statewide Hotlines:
Sexual Assault: 1-800-277-5570
WISE (Lebanon)
*office number (603) 448-5922
Domestic Violence: 1-866-644-3574
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