2024 National Stalking Awareness Month

January is National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM), a time to reflect on how stalking and domestic violence intersect. Stalking is a prevalent victimization that often co-occurs with — and increases the risks of — domestic violence. Millions of individuals of all genders are stalked every year in the United States and nearly half of stalkers are intimate partners (current or former). It is estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will experience stalking in their lifetime. Many abusers stalk their partners both during and after the relationship has ended as an extension of coercive control. Stalking is a terrifying and psychologically harmful victimization in its own right.

Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that causes fear or emotional distress. Two or more incidents make a pattern.  However, definitions vary from state-to-state. It’s important to be familiar with GA’s laws about stalking. Stalking is typically directed at a specific person – the victim. However, stalkers often contact the victim’s family, friends and/or coworkers as part of their pattern of behavior. Stalkers use a variety of tactics, including (but not limited to): unwanted contact including phone calls, texts, and contact via social media, unwanted gifts, showing up/approaching an individual or their family/friends, monitoring, surveillance, property damage, and threats.

On average, stalkers who are intimate partners are more threatening and dangerous than other stalkers, and intimate partner abusers who stalk are more threatening and dangerous than abusers who don’t stalk. Stalking increases the risk of intimate partner homicide by three times. The prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression is much higher among stalking victims than in the general population. Victim services such as Raksha can help victims take stalking into account as they devise a safety plan, navigate legal systems, assert their rights, and obtain the support they need and to which they are entitled.

As stated previously, stalking is a traumatic crime that often co-occurs with other forms of victimization and that can affect specific populations in unique ways. Offenders may use stalking as a tactic of abuse or as part of planning to commit another crime, as well as use specific types of violence and victimizations to target a victim. Within the South Asian population, immigrants can be especially vulnerable.

^{source: stalkingawareness.org}