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This page is a very important page. I am not saying that any of the information in this web site is unimportant, but stalking is a problem that overlaps them all. It can be something that is a part of the crime or it can stand alone. Those who abuse often want to continue to feel they control the victim's lives by keeping track of them, following them, talking to them on telephones, and just constantly putting fear into the hearts of men, women, and children everywhere. It is a problem which has caused states to construct Stalking Laws. Visit The Stalking Resource Center to find out what these laws are, and where to find information for your local state. You need to know how they apply in your own area.
This is a very serious problem. Most of this page is information taken from the Stalking Resource Center. Links to valuable information going directly to the page of importance are provided below the information, but I suggest you visit the link above and go through the site page by page. There is tons of information which can help victims of stalking or anyone who wants to know how to protect themselves should this threat arise. Anyone can be a victim.
Below is important information about what stalking is, and some vital statistics which will show visitors how common this problem is in our society.
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What is Stalking
The legal definition of stalking is defined primarily by state statutes. While statutes vary, most define stalking as a course of conduct that places a person in fear for their safety.
However, the term "stalking" is more commonly used to describe specific kinds of behavior directed at a particular person, such as harassing or threatening another person. But the variety of specific strategies employed and behaviors displayed by stalkers are limited only by the creativity and ingenuity of the stalkers themselves. Suffice it to say, virtually any unwanted contact between a stalker and their victim which directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places the victim in fear can generally be referred to as stalking. Questions and Answers About Stalking
Prevalence
* 1 out of every 12 women will be stalked during her lifetime
* 1 out of 45 men will be stalked during his lifetime
* 1,006,970 women are stalked annually
* 370,990 men are stalked annually
Stalkers* 94% of stalkers identified by female victims were men
* 60% of stalkers identified by male victims were men
* 87% of stalkers overall were men
National Violence Against Women Survey
Many changes have occurred in information about stalking, and advice once given has proven to not be very effective. The article below gives these details far better then I can. I put it here because I believe it to be very important. The more information you have the better prepared you are to deal with the problem and fight it effectively.
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The Stalking Resource Center.....
Rethinking Our Advice to Stalking Victims
The Stalking Resource Center is always looking for the best, most up-to-date advice to give stalking victims. We subscribe to many journals and newsletters, and we read books on stalking. As we talk to practitioners in the field, we learn more about this crime and what can be done to help keep victims safe. One result of this search is that we are constantly rethinking and reevaluating the criminal justice system’s responses to stalking.
Because stalking has been recognized as a crime for only about a decade, our approach to the problem is still in its infancy. Creative practitioners around the country have developed great ways to respond to the crime and to keep victims safe. Those ideas, shared and spread around the country, have gained wide acceptance. For the most part, that’s great. But what do we do when we find out that our well-intentioned advice might actually be putting victims in danger? Experts are now struggling to find the best advice for victims about whether, when, and how they should respond to contact from their stalkers.
One common piece of advice is telling victims that if they "just ignore the stalker, the stalking will stop." Experience has taught us that this advice seldom works. The stalker is pursuing the victim for a reason, and the behavior is likely to escalate if he or she is not getting the desired reaction from the victim. For example, if a victim who is being stalked via the Internet completely stops using the computer (even if that were possible), the stalker usually recognizes that he or she is being ignored and does something else to get the victim’s attention. Rather than ignoring the behavior, victims of stalking should seek help from trained advocates and law enforcement officers who can help them assess the threat level that the stalker poses and advise them what measures they can take to stay safe.
We are also reconsidering what to tell victims who report that stalkers are harassing or threatening them by phone. The standard advice has been that victims should disconnect their phones and get a new, unlisted phone number. Getting a new number is a good idea, but it turns out that disconnecting the old one may be a mistake. The Seattle Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit has found that when stalking victims disconnect the phone, virtually 100 percent of the stalkers escalate their contact to in-person stalking. The Seattle Police now advise victims to get a new phone number but keep their old phone line active and connected to an answering machine to capture any possible evidence.
So, if ignoring stalkers doesn’t work, what about the advice many well-meaning professionals often give victims, to tell their stalkers—once and forcefully—to leave them alone? This advice may serve a purpose if the stalker doesn’t understand that his or her attentions are unwelcome and fear-inducing. Such stalkers may stop if they are appropriately warned. However, much stalking involves unmistakably deliberate behavior that could never be confused with innocent, possibly welcome, non-criminal behavior. In such cases, encouraging a victim to have contact with the stalker, in any form, only increases the stalker’s sense of power and control. Even when a warning seems appropriate, a great deal of thought and safety planning must precede contact with the stalker. Trained law enforcement officers or other legal agents, rather than the victim, should deliver the warning (which
should not be a substitute for criminal charges). Because stalkers are dangerously unpredictable, warnings can put them "over the edge," further endangering the victim.
So, as we work with victims, we need to keep helping them with safety planning and threat assessment, and keep looking for better ways to address the problem of stalking. But, as we do this, we must think through the ramifications of all our advice and regularly reevaluate strategies to make sure they are working as intended. Never underestimate the potential threat that a stalker may pose. And, as you figure out what is effective and what isn’t, please share your insights with us, so we can pass them along to other practitioners in the field! Contact them at src@ncvc.org.
Learn more Rethinking Our Advice to Stalking Victims.
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Safety Plan Guidelines
The Stalking Incident and Behavior Log
There a couple of things suggested above which I will provide the link to one, and the full example of the other below. They are the Safety Plan Guidelines, and the Stalking Incident and Behavior Log. The Safety Plan Guidelines are way to long to give the whole article, but here is the link to it. I suggest you read the whole thing it gives great information for victims of stalking.
Visit the link and read the information to understand the Safety Plan Guidelines.
Stalking Incident and Behavior Log It is critical that victims of stalking maintain a log of stalking-related incidents and behavior. Recording this information will help to document the behavior for restraining order applications, divorce and child custody cases, or criminal prosecution. It can also help preserve your memory of individual incidents about which you might later testify. The stalking log should be used to record and document all stalking-related behavior, including harassing phone calls, letters, e-mail messages, acts of vandalism, and threats communicated through third parties. When reporting the incidents to law enforcement, always write down the officer's name and badge number for your own records. Even if the officers do not make an arrest, you can ask them to make a written report and request a copy for your records.
Important note: Since this information could potentially be introduced as evidence or inadvertently shared with the stalker at a future time, do not include any information that you do not want the offender to see.
Attach a photograph of the stalker, photocopies of restraining orders, police reports, and other relevant documents. Keep the log in a safe place and tell only someone you trust where you keep your log.
Documenting stalking behavior can be a difficult and emotionally exhausting task. A local advocate in your community can provide support, information about the options available to you, and assistance with safety planning.
The Incident and Behavior Log
More information is available about this valuable tool at Stalking Incident and Behavior Log Information.
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Some Closing Thoughts
The problem of stalking can become very dangerous. Many people die because they do not take their stalker seriously, or the stalker just becomes desperate. Desperate and obsessed people are dangerous people. It is the goal of this web site that everyone remains safe. Again if you are being stalked, someone you love is being stalked, or just to have information to protect yourself in the event of any future problems of this nature; please visit the Stalking Resource Center they offer bunches of valuable information. Information is power and knowledge in regards to stalking can make the difference in protecting victims.
I would also recommend to all who has been a victim of stalking to click on the link below and fill out the Stalking Survey. This adds more information to validate the statistics. It will not take that much time and allows them to add more information and keep everyone aware that stalking is a crime which continues to offer a major threat and needs to continue to be taken seriously. It is one way to make sure your voice is heard. Stalking Questionnaire
More downloads are available for download from the Stalking Resource Center. Stalking Publication Downloads
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