Brigid Murphy

I was a victim of child sexual abuse in this state, over 20 years ago. At the time, my abuser was given a light sentence because I, at age 7, was too nervous to testify against him in court. Over a decade later, at age 19, I was raped, and was too terrified of the court system to report what had happened to me. The court had already failed me once, as a helpless child. How would they look on an adult woman who went on a date with this man? When our court systems are difficult to understand or navigate, we are failing victims. And I do mean we: this falls on all of us. Myself, as a voter and member of the community, as much as you, representing me in the state house. It is up to all of us to advocate for procedures that make a horrific event a little easier, to avoid re-traumatizing victims during such a difficult time, and to help create systems that work FOR victims, not against them. This is a small change that makes an immense difference, to women like me, to kids like me, and to scared parents like my mom who feel so lost after finding out the unimaginable has happened to their child. Please vote to protect the people of New Hampshire by passing HB1633-FN.