West Virginia Code Chapter 48. Domestic Relations § 48-28A-101. Purpose

The Legislature finds that persons attempting to escape from actual or threatened domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking frequently find it necessary to establish a new address in order to prevent their assailants or probable assailants from finding them. The purpose of this article is to enable state and local agencies to respond to requests for public records without disclosing the location of a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; to enable interagency cooperation with the Secretary of State in providing address confidentiality for victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking; and to enable state and local agencies to accept an address designated by the Secretary of State by a program participant as a substitute for a residential or mailing address.