The Governor's Commission on Domestic Violence was created in 1993 by then Governor Steve Merrill. In 1998 Governor Jeanne Shaheen expanded the Commission to include the issue of sexual violence. The Commission represents all branches of government and those agencies and individuals who work with victims and perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence. The mission of the Governor's Commission is to develop and implement programs to reduce the level and seriousness of domestic and sexual violence in New Hampshire, and to increase awareness among the public, governmental and private agencies and the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government, of the causes, effects and magnitude of domestic and sexual violence.

The Commission is composed of nine Committees, each focusing on separate goals:

BATTERER INTERVENTION COMMITTEE - The Batterers Intervention Committee developed and published Batterer's Intervention Standards of Practice for batterer intervention providers in February 2002. Since that time, the Committee has worked collaboratively with The Greenbook Project to deliver trainings for providers and other stakeholders of batterer intervention services. Current goals of the Committee are to draft supplements to the Standards. Topics will address working with special populations such as female perpetrators, adolescent batterers, same-sex batterers and the impact of domestic violence on children. The Committee recently drafted a checklist for monitoring batterer intervention programs. This checklist will be piloted in Grafton County and other counties for possible statewide distribution.

CAMPUS CONSORTIUM COMMITTEE - The Campus Consortium Committee supports and advises a state wide consortium of New Hampshire colleges and universities to reduce violence against women on campus. The campus subcommittee and the consortium creates a forum where New Hampshire's post secondary institutions can develop and implement model strategies to reduce violence against women on their respective campuses including but not limited to a campus sexual assault policy, campus protocol for responding to reported sexual assaults, coordinated victim services delivery system utilizing campus and/or community based resources, campus plan to prevent sexual assault and plan to provide student, faculty and staff training.

CONFERENCE AND TRAINING COMMITTEE - The Committee, along with the Attorney General's Office coordinates and sponsors an annual statewide two-day professional conference on the issues of domestic and sexual violence and stalking. Approximately 500 participants attend this advanced, multidisciplinary conference with both national and local experts presenting on a wide range of topics. In addition the Committee sponsors regional trainings to introduce the various protocols, and over 2500 professionals have being trained on the use of the protocols.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FATALITY REVIEW COMMITTEE - The Committee was created in 1999. Its two primary purposes are to identify systemic changes within all organizations and agencies that work with domestic violence victims, offenders and families that will improve the identification of risk factors and coordination of services, and to continue educating and motivating the public to find solutions to end domestic violence. The 30-member interdisciplinary Committee has received national recognition for its work, which includes a comprehensive plan of accountability through annual recommendations and reports.

The Committee issues an annual report to the Governor. The 2004 Annual report contains extensive data analysis of domestic homicides in New Hampshire. Several dozen recommendations have been advanced by the Committee, and positively received by the various departments, agencies and organizations to which they were addressed. The Committee remains committed to constructive systemic review of cases to improve our collective response to domestic violence in New Hampshire.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE COMMITTEE - In 2000, the Family Violence Prevention Fund launched a nationwide project entitled the National Corporate Citizenship Initiative (CCI), recognizing the significant role a workplace can play in addressing domestic violence. New Hampshire was chosen as one of 23 states to participate in this initiative. In July of 2000, the Governor's Commission introduced the Initiative by hosting a kick-off meeting attended by over 100 business and community leaders.

The Initiative's launch resulted in the implementation of the State of New Hampshire Domestic Violence in the Workplace Policy created by Executive Order. New Hampshire became one of five across the nation to adopt and implement such a policy. Hundreds of state supervisors and employees were trained on the workplace's role in providing resources and information to victims and accountability for perpetrators. Today, the Initiative continues to offer technical assistance, training, and information to New Hampshire's State employees. In order to reach all New Hampshire workers, the Initiative has expanded its focus to private sector businesses and in November 2005 it held its first conference for over 150 businesses. Through future connections and collaborations with the State's small and large private businesses, employers and employees will be more adept to understand and respond to domestic violence and its affects on our workplaces and communities. Policy, brochure and poster

PROTOCOL COMMITTEE - The Committee has developed multidisciplinary protocols on standardizing the handling of domestic and sexual violence cases among all the disciplines that work with these issues. Eighteen protocols have been developed, including one for prosecution, law enforcement, medical, mental health, probation and parole, the courts, EMS, home health care providers and employee assistance programs. Each Protocol is designed to enhance and improve systemic responses to these issues.

PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE - The Committee began its work by conducting statewide public hearings to determine the breadth and impact of domestic violence on individuals, families and communities. The testimony resulted in a video that was widely distributed around the state.

The Committee produces two annual monographs: "One Week: A Snapshot of Sexual Assault in New Hampshire" which provides the public with a sense of how prevalent the crime of sexual assault is, and the variety of individuals it impacts; and "One Week A Snapshot of Domestic Violence in New Hampshire" which focuses on incidents of domestic violence.

In 2001 the Committee was awarded a federal grant to produce a media campaign about teen dating violence, resulting in the creation of television and radio public service announcements, a web site and posters. The Reach Out NH campaign, which is ongoing, reaches out to teens, parents, educators and the public at large. The Committee created an Educators Guide to Teen Dating Violence that was distributed throughout New Hampshire to middle and high schools, and has been very positively received by teachers and staff.

The Committee has developed an Interpersonal Violence Resource Guide for
New Hampshire Media, which addresses the issues of domestic and sexual violence, stalking and other violent crimes. The goal of the Handbook is to increase the medias' understanding these issues and report on them in a way to educate the public while avoiding causing secondary harm to victims and their families.

In addition, The Sexual Assault Media Campaign, funded through the Attorney General's Office, launched a $150,000 two-year statewide public awareness campaign to educate the public on the prevalence of sexual assault, the rights of victims, what survivors can do to access services, and what all of us can do to help end sexual violence. During 2004, the committee revised messages and began the creative development process by working with the Manchester-based advertising agency, Griffin Bodi Krause. To develop two 30-second television spots, which have aired on WMUR TV. The campaign also reinforced the message with print brochures, posters and an updated area on the reachoutnh.com website. The media campaign was launched on April 5, 2005, which was the "National "Day to End Sexual Violence."

SURVEY COMMITTEE - The Committee serves as both a resource to other committees in terms of gathering and assessing data on issues related to domestic and sexual violence, and working on developing data and information that informs the work of the Commission. The Committee secured a grant from the Endowment for Health to contract with a professional evaluator, to collect data for analysis regarding the current status of services available to victims of domestic and sexual violence. The evaluation team collected qualitative and quantitative data and assessed the data to identify strengths and weaknesses in services. Subsequently the results will be distributed in an effort to coordinate a statewide plan to address identified needs and barriers. The Committee is also developing a strategy to evaluate the effectiveness of several protocols developed and distributed by the Governor's Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, beginning with the Law Enforcement Sexual Assault Protocol - A Community Needs Assessment of Services for Victims of Domestic & Sexual Violence in NH.

VISITATION COMMITTEE - The Committee is working on establishing standards for visitation in New Hampshire, defining safety measures to ensure that victims and their children are safe while providing visitation services. The Committee is currently creating criteria for determining when visitation should occur and what type of visitation will ensure the safety of domestic violence victims and their children.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE/MENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE: The Committee was formed in 2003, with the goal of developing a model of integrated services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault who have co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. The Committee has established a core group of members, representing the victim advocacy, mental health and substance abuse communities, including consumer/survivors in recovery. Committee efforts so far have included discussions regarding the current fragmentation of services, efforts to develop collaborative models, and broad planning for future activities. The Committee has sponsored two presentations by SAMHSA funded projects working under the Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study, which outlined tested models of trauma-informed, integrated services. The Committee is currently planning next steps for bringing an evidence-based, integrated service model to New Hampshire for implementation.