Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, near the cities of Canaan and Lebanon . As of the 2020 census, its population was just under 12,000. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been well documented in the area.

Consumer level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking. Demand reduction tactics used in the town include the disclosure of sex buyer identities and employment loss. In April, 2016, the Principal of the Bernice A. Ray School in Hanover, NH was arrested and charged in a prostitution sting. He was arrested on off Route 4 in Canaan on one count of prostitution, a Class B misdemeanor. Two other men also were arrested on prostitution charges as part of the operation, which was launched by Canaan police. In each case, the men contacted undercover officers and offered to pay money for various sexual acts. The former principal was released on $7,500 personal recognizance bail. He was arraigned in July, 2016 in Lebanon circuit court. The man resigned from the Ray School, citing personal reasons for his abrupt departure. News of his arrest first was made public in a message emailed to Ray School parents and staff by the SAU 70 Superintendent. In the letter, Canaan police informed the Superintendent that the Principal had been arrested for soliciting prostitution. School Administrative Unit (SAU) 70 is an interstate school district comprising the towns of Hanover, New Hampshire and Norwich, Vermont. It consists of four schools and four boards, including the Hanover School District.