January is...National Stalking Awareness Month
Did you know...?
6.6 million people are stalked every year in the United States
The majority of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know.
More than half of victims say they were stalked before the age of 25
78% of stalkers use more than one means of approach
Intimate partner stalkers tend to approach their targets and their behaviors can escalate quickly.
Stalking is a pattern of behavior that makes you feel scared or in danger. Behaviors can include: letters, damaging property, showing up at places you go, emails, calls, gifts, harassment, and other.
Stalking is a form of dating abuse
You can be stalked by someone you know like a current boyfriend or girlfriend. It can even happen while you are still dating and be a form of dating abuse.
It is common for teen abusers to use stalking behavior to control and monitor their partner.
Control is power to influence one's behavior and is unhealthy in a relationship.
Get Help!
Call police
Tell someone- a parent, friend, school principal or another person you can trust.
Help Yourself!
Think about ways you can be safer. This means thinking about what to do, where to go for help, and who to call ahead of time such as; where can you go for help? Who can you call? Who can help?
Make sure you tell friends and family when you are scared and let them know where you are when you go out.
Call 911 in an emergency
Know (memorize) phone numbers of people you can contact and places to go
Save notes, letters, emails, texts, pictures, and other items the stalker sends you.
Keep all records.
Stand Up and Speak Out Against Dating Violence
Help me raise awareness
(Did you know over 80% of High School Counselors report feeling unprepared to address incidents of abuse on their school campus...?)
Resources: www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org, New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, www.victimsofcrime.org, www.breakthecycle.org
11 comments:
Hi, Rebecca,
Thanks for sharing the knowledge and helping to raise awareness. I certainly didn't know a lot of what you shared above.
I recently saw some statistics on stalking (in a magazine article I was reading, I think) and I was surprised at the numbers. I was also surprised that certain states don't have laws against specific kinds of stalking, like cyberstalking. It was kind of scary! Thank you for putting this out there for people to read. It's so smart to encourage people to get help or talk to someone they trust if they're feeling threatened or even unsure in any way.
Having been a stalker victim (believe it or not), this can't be said enough. Thanks for spreading this message. :)
So scary that people have to deal with this. Something seriously wrong with stalkers.
Thanks so much for stopping by! :)
It is very scary! And so important to raise awareness and start talking. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. :)
Very scary. Thanks for stopping by and helping to raise awareness.
Wow how creepy. What is wrong with people??? I wonder if it has something to do with our instant gratification society and the inability to take no for an answer. Yikes.
Hmm...I wonder- good thoughts.
It is very creepy...and scary.
Those are some pretty scary stats!
It can definitely be scary when someone won't leave you alone. Thanks for raising awareness of the issue. :)
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