The content of this report was derived primarily from information provided at a consultation held by the New Hampshire Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on June 18, 1979. Although it is difficult to obtain accurate data on wife-beating in New Hampshire, persons who work with the problem estimate that it is extensive in the rural areas. Evidence presented at the consultation indicated that the State's protection is often less available to citizens when threats to their safety come from a partner in a marital or conjugal relationship. This condition is alleged to result in part from the sexist belief that a certain level of violence by the male against the female is acceptable. Homemakers are particularly vulnerable, because they lack the resources to defend themselves or escape from the dangerous situation. Consultation suggestions for addressing the problem included (1) the creation of shelters and safe houses; (2) the provision of emergency housing, legal aid, and job training; (3) improvement in existing services and protections; (4) improved police training; (5) better reporting of battering by public agencies; and (6) greater attention to battering by mental health agencies. House Bill 809, the legislative reform measure, enables police to intervene more effectively in domestic violence situations by expanding police authority to arrest without a warrant. The reforms also involve the police to a greater degree in enforcement of restraining orders. The law reforms are also expected to make the judicial system more accessible to battered women; e.g., the new law permits domestic violence victims to seek protective restraining orders from both district and superior courts without filing for divorce. An annotation of the revised statutes is appended, along with the names and addresses of organizations serving battered women in New Hampshire.