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Stalking - Global - Safety Issue for Women & Girls

USA Website Link includes Resources & Video:

http://www.safehorizon.org/page.php?nav=rl&page=stalking#what

STALKING

What is Stalking?

Stalking is the term used to describe repeated harassing or threatening behavior toward another person. A stalker can be a stranger or someone the victim knows including a partner, an ex-partner, or a family member. Laws vary by state, but stalking is generally considered to be any unwanted contact between a stalker and his/her victim that directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places the victim in fear. Anyone can be a victim of stalking. Stalkers can be former intimate partners, strangers, or acquaintances.

Does your ex-partner always seem to be just around the corner when you are going to work, out with friends, or in your neighborhood?

Does someone you know keep making unwanted phone calls to you at home or work?

Do you find signs that your partner has been in or near your home, your car, or your workplace when you weren’t there?

Are you receiving repeated letters, faxes, gifts, and/or emails even though you told the sender to stop sending them?

Has someone tried to get information about you from a third person like a family member, friend, or co-worker?

Many people think that stalking only happens to celebrities or between strangers. Stalking is a crime that can happen to anyone. If these experiences are part of your life, you are not alone and help is available in your community. If you are in New York City and are a victim of stalking, Safe Horizon can help you. We understand that stalking can interrupt your life at home, at work, and at school, affecting your relationships with friends, family, and coworkers. Safe Horizon is here to help you understand the facts about stalking. We know that being stalked can be terrifying. You may feel afraid for your life, that you have no privacy, and that you have nowhere to turn because your stalker seems to always be there.

You are being stalked if someone is:

• Repeatedly following or spying on you
• Repeatedly calling your home and/or work
• Repeatedly sending you unwanted e-mails, letters, faxes
• Leaving unwanted gifts or items for you to find
• Vandalizing or damaging your property
• Threatening you or someone close to you
• Repeatedly showing up for no legitimate purpose at places where you are

USA Facts About Stalking

• Over 1.4 million women and men are stalked in the U.S. each year.
• 77% of female and 64% of male victims know their stalker.
• Women are 3 times more likely to be stalked than raped.
• 76% of women killed by their intimate partners were stalked by these partners before they were killed. All stalkers should be considered unpredictable.

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