WASHINGTON -- The National Center for Victims of Crime today announced that January will be recognized as the first annual National Stalking Awareness Month, focusing on the serious and deadly crime that victimizes more than one million women and nearly 400,000 men in America each year.
In July of this year, Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) introduced the National Stalking Awareness Month resolution, which passed the Senate in November with the bipartisan support of Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Joseph Biden (D-DE). The U.S. House of Representatives has not yet moved on this measure.
Stalking -- typically defined as a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear -- is a criminal offense under the laws of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government. Although its prevalence is high, public awareness that stalking is a crime remains dangerously low. One in 12 women and one in 45 men will be stalked in their lifetime, for an average duration of almost two years (1). Seventy-six percent of female homicide victims were also stalked prior to their death, and more than half of these victims reported stalking to the police before being murdered by their stalkers (2). National Stalking Awareness Month, intended to increase the public's awareness of stalking, was inspired by the story of Peggy Klinke, a stalking victim who was murdered by an ex-boyfriend after repeatedly seeking law enforcement intervention.
"The tragic death of Peggy Klinke underscores the urgent need to respond more effectively to stalking victims," said Susan Herman, executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime. "If all the people that Peggy reached out to for help had understood how dangerous stalking can be -- and how critical intervention is -- she might be alive today."
An average of 25 stalking victims a week contact the National Center's Helpline -- 1-800-FYI-CALL -- seeking help, counseling, advocacy, or referrals to local services. The National Center's Stalking Resource Center's Web site (www.ncvc.org/src) receives more than 5,000 hits a month, and more than 1,000 Web visitors a month download information bulletins on stalking from the National Center's GET HELP series for victims.
"Stalking victims are often forced to take drastic measures to protect themselves, such as relocating, changing their identities, or changing jobs," said Susan Herman. "Our hope is that National Stalking Awareness Month will serve to bring stalking to the attention of policy makers, law enforcement officials, and the general public so that when stalking victims need help, we will all respond appropriately -- doing everything we can to keep them safe and hold offenders accountable for their actions."
The National Center for Victims of Crime is encouraging communities across the country to promote awareness and public education about stalking during the month of January and throughout the year.
Stalking in America (3):
* 1,006,970 women and 370,990 men are stalked annually in the United
States.
* 77 percent of female and 64 percent of male victims know their stalker.
* 87 percent of stalkers are men.
* 59 percent of female victims and 30 percent of male victims are stalked by an intimate
partner.
* 81 percent of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are also
physically assaulted by that partner.
* 31 percent of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are also
sexually assaulted by that partner.
* 73 percent of intimate partner stalkers verbally threatened the victims with
physical violence, and almost 46% of victims experienced one or more
violent incidents by the stalker.
* The average duration of stalking is 1.8 years.
* When stalking involves intimate partners, the average duration of
stalking increases to 2.2 years.
* 61 percent of stalkers made unwanted phone calls; 33 percent sent or left unwanted
letters or items; 29 percent vandalized property; and 9 percent killed or threatened
to kill a family pet.
* 28 percent of female victims and 10 percent of male victims obtained a protective
order. Of those, 69 percent of female victims and 81 percent of male victims had the
protection order violated.
* The prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe
depression is much higher among stalking victims than the general
population, especially if the stalking involves being followed or having
one's property destroyed (4).
The National Center for Victims of Crime just unveiled its striking new Trust Your Instincts poster, along with a wide range of other public education resources designed to raise national awareness about stalking during National Stalking Awareness Month and throughout the year, including:
* Stalking Fact Sheet: Contains current information about stalking
behavior, prevalence, impact, and laws
* "Ten Things Your Need to Know About Stalking" tip sheet
* Stalking Resource List: Includes links to feature articles from the
Stalking Resource Center's newsletter
* National Stalking Awareness Month Congressional Resolution and a sample
resolution for local government
* Black-and-white camera-ready posters with space to add local information
These and other resources are available at www.ncvc.org/src/NSAM.
The National Center for Victims of Crime is dedicated to forging a national commitment to help victims of crime rebuild their lives. The National Center's toll-free helpline, 1-800-FYI-CALL, offers immediate support, practical information about crime and victimization, and referrals to local community resources, as well as skilled advocacy in the criminal justice and social service systems.
The National Center also operates the Stalking Resource Center. The mission of the Stalking Resource Center is to raise national awareness of stalking and to encourage the development and implementation of multidisciplinary responses to stalking in local communities across the country. Visit the Stalking Resource Center's Web site at www.ncvc.org/src.
(1) Tjaden & Thoennes. (). "Stalking in America," NIJ
(2) ibid.
(3) ibid.
(4) Blaauw et. Al. (). "The Toll of Stalking," J. Interpersonal Viol.
Source: National Center for Victims of Crime
