This story was originally produced by the Concord Monitor. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
New Hampshire has taken a step toward strengthening protections for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault while cracking down on sex trafficking after Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed a bipartisan package of bills into law last week.
The legislation follows a year of heightened focus on domestic violence and sexual assault, fueled by the state’s crackdown on illicit massage businesses tied to sex trafficking and the July 2025 killing of Marisol Fuentes in Berlin.
She was killed by her estranged husband, raising serious questions about how the courts and police department handled her domestic violence case.
“Supporting victims of crime has long been a bipartisan priority in New Hampshire,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs at the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “These new laws build on that strong tradition by removing barriers survivors have faced and making sure our laws better reflect the realities of victimization.”
One of the bills (House Bill 1651) expands access to protective orders for survivors of sexual assault.
Under current New Hampshire law, survivors generally can only obtain a protective order if they have a qualifying relationship with the offender, such as being married, dating, living together, related by family, or being an intimate partner.
The new law closes that gap by allowing survivors of sexual assault to seek protective orders regardless of their relationship to the offender. The law also strengthens victims’ rights by requiring survivors to be informed about the status and location of their sexual assault evidence kit, commonly known as a rape kit, and how long the evidence will be stored.
“A survivor’s ability to obtain protection should not depend on their relationship with the person who assaulted them,” said Pamela Keilig, public policy specialist at the Coalition, in a statement. “Sexual violence may be committed by a coworker, acquaintance, classmate, neighbor, or stranger. This law gives survivors a meaningful legal option to protect their safety while also ensuring they have better access to information about evidence collected in their case.”
This bill takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
Ayotte also signed into law House Bill 1469, which addresses a longstanding gap in New Hampshire’s oversight of massage businesses.
While massage therapists are required to be licensed, the businesses they work for have not been held to that same standard, creating a loophole that officials say has allowed illicit massage parlors tied to human trafficking to operate across the state.
Since November 2024, the New Hampshire Department of Justice, working with local and federal law enforcement, has shut down at least 15 illicit massage businesses in Concord, Derry, Londonderry, Hudson, Merrimack, Manchester, Dover, Salem and Somersworth as part of sex trafficking investigations.
The new law licensing massage businesses will give regulators the authority to enforce health and sanitation standards, inspect facilities and identify businesses engaged in illegal activity before trafficking and exploitation can take hold.
Another measure signed by Ayotte, House Bill 1576, expands New Hampshire’s legal definition of domestic violence to recognize a broader range of abusive behaviors.
The law adds coercive control, isolating a victim from family and friends, the nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images and other forms of abuse that advocates say are commonly used to manipulate and control victims but have not always been reflected in state policy.
House Bill 1522, which strengthens the restitution process for crime victims by increasing accountability for offenders ordered to pay restitution, was also signed into law.
This bill will take effect on June 1, 2027.
“Restitution is not a favor to a victim. It is part of the sentence imposed on the person who committed the crime,” said Grady Sexton. “Victims should not be left wondering why payments stopped or be expected to navigate the system on their own.
