What is stalking?
While legal definitions of stalking vary from one jurisdiction to another, a good working definition of stalking is “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.”
According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, and based on a CDC report, between 2010-2011:
- 7.5 million people were stalked in one year in the U.S.
- 61 percent of female victims and 44 percent of male victims were stalked by a current or former intimate partner
- An estimated 15 percent of women and 6 percent of men have been a victim of stalking during their lifetimes
Some stalking behaviors may include:
- Making unwanted phone calls
- Sending unsolicited or unwanted letters or e-mails
- Following or spying on the victim
- Showing up at places without a legitimate reason
- Waiting at places for the victim
- Leaving unwanted items, presents, or flowers
- Posting information or spreading rumors about the victim on the internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth.
Learn more about stalking here: https://www.stalkingawareness.org