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But the proposed bill — still in draft stages — drew swift criticism from the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, which said the law already is used judiciously and called it a backstop against inappropriate sexual advances at any age level.
“We oppose any legislation that would prohibit prosecutors from being able to make these vital distinctions,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
No rule prohibits a juror from serving on a trial for a crime he or she has personally endured. (Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs at the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, told me that, if a jury was meant to represent one’s peers, the prevalence of sexual assault was a relevant fact. “If you take away people who have had a sexual assault in their life, you certainly don’t have a jury of your peers. Because your peers have been sexually assaulted.”) A requirement is simply that each juror be “fair and impartial.” In the view of Vartanian and Cherniske, both jurors still were; some vaguely phrased queries had simply confused them. The pair withheld out of misunderstanding, not dishonesty. This carried no suggestion of bias.
The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence emphasized the importance of companies taking a serious look at their working environments.
“It is critical that organizations and institutions take allegations of harassment and assault with the utmost seriousness, and swiftly take action to ensure their work environment is safe and healthy for all employees. Many victims of workplace harassment do not come forward out of fear of retaliation or losing their job. In order to encourage reporting and truly create a positive and professional culture, leaders must confront problematic behavior when it’s brought to their attention, and workplaces must prioritize the prevention of, and response to, harassment,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, the coalition’s director of public affairs. She added that workplaces of all sizes should contact their local crisis center for more information about local resources, in-service training opportunities, and best practices around addressing the problems. Kuster, Hassan Join Survivor Advocates to Highlight Negative Impact of DeVos Rollback of Title IX1/22/2019
“We’re deeply concerned that the proposed Title IX regulations, if enacted, would deter survivors from coming forward, allow schools to excuse sexual violence, and create unsafe learning environments on our campuses,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, Director of Public Affairs, the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “We’re incredibly grateful to Senator Hassan, Congresswoman Kuster, and the multidisciplinary roundtable participants for joining us in this critical discussion. Sexual assault is already among the most underreported crimes and we cannot afford to take steps backwards. We are committed to continuing to work with elected officials, victims/survivors, professionals working in our schools, and advocates to prevent the weakening of Title IX.”
Proposed rule changes on campus sexual assault come under fire from Sununu, congressional delegation11/20/2018
Sununu echoed many of the same concerns raised at a roundtable hosted at the Concord offices of the N.H. Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in Concord and attended by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan and Rep. Ann McLane Kuster.
They were joined by assault survivors, advocates, researchers and representatives of universities and campuses from across the state.
Victims’ rights advocates – including leaders of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, who hosted Monday’s discussion – say the changes will discourage survivors from reporting abuse.
“Coming forward in my experience was difficult enough,” said Harmony Reid, who survived an assault years ago while studying at Plymouth State University. The current proposal will only make that process harder, she said.
“I am extremely disappointed to think 40 years after I was in school that there could be a generation of students ... that have less protection than we had,” Kuster said during a roundtable discussion at the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in Concord. “This takes us backward to a time when people did not have the courage to speak up.”
In a statement, the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence praised the decision.
“In order to change the existing culture that minimizes sexual violence and silences survivors, we must continue to hold offenders accountable and demonstrate to victim/survivors that we take these crimes seriously,” Public Affairs Director Amanda Grady Sexton said. She also praised the victim, Chessy Prout, for coming forward.
The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence, pushed back against the decision last week, saying sexual assault survivors are not inherently biased as jurors and are capable of serving on juries without bias.
“Considering that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 20 men in N.H. have been sexually assaulted, a jury of one’s peers will likely always include sexual assault survivors,” said director of public police affairs Amanda Grady Sexton in an emailed statement. On Wednesday, she said the family’s decision to not pursue a second trial was not surprising. “The system is not designed to protect the privacy or dignity of the victim, making it even more difficult for them to rebuild their lives,” she wrote in an email. “... Our thoughts are with the courageous young survivor in this case, and we stand with his family in their request for privacy during this time.”
Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence, said sexual assault survivors are not inherently biased as jurors and are capable of serving on juries without bias.
“Considering that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 20 men in N.H. have been sexually assaulted, a jury of one’s peers will likely always include sexual assault survivors,” she said in an emailed statement. “It is extremely concerning that jurors who were survivors of childhood sexual abuse were examined in open court without proper notice of the rights afforded in N.H.’s victim’s bill of rights. It’s critical that our criminal justice system recognize that many citizens have experienced victimization, and to ensure that jurors are also treated with the dignity and privacy that they deserve.” |
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