This January marks the twenty-first annual Stalking Awareness Month, a month to generate conversation on recognizing stalking as a significant form of abuse, to support survivors of stalking, and to share resources for those experiencing it. Something readers might wonder is, how prevalent is stalking? Why is this awareness month important?
In 2003, Debbie Riddle called upon the Stalking Resource Center, funded by the Office on Violence Against Women, to broaden education and responses to the crime of stalking after the death of her sister, Peggy Klinke. Klinke was unfortunately a victim of stalking and was murdered by the person stalking her (Seattle Pacific University, n.d.). Riddle’s call and advocacy resulted in the National Center for Victims of Crime to bring forth the first Stalking Awareness Month in 2004 (Seattle Pacific University, n.d.). Still, some may not yet be aware of how dangerous and prevalent stalking is; nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men are estimated to experience stalking in their lifetime and 84% of stalking victims report feeling scared or concerned for their personal safety (Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center [SPARC], 2019). This January is therefore a time to reflect on the stories of those who have experienced stalking, the signs of stalking, and how individuals can access resources to feel safe.
To start, stalking may not be easy to recognize due to how distorted the definition of the word “stalking” has become. Some may refer to looking at another person’s social media as “Facebook stalking” or “Instagram stalking”, however, this is an example of how stalking is a misused term. While jurisdictions may have differing legal definitions of stalking, the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) generally describes stalking as repeated behavior directed at a person that would cause a person reasonable fear for their safety and/or distress (SPARC, 2019). As such, the unintended consequence of misusing the word “stalking” is it can undermine how others perceive the severity of victims’ experiences of stalking.
In addition to being intentional with the language used in everyday life, another actionable item that readers can take is being informed on the signs of stalking and who perpetrates stalking. SPARC describes common stalking behaviors as “SLII” (SPARC, 2022a):
“Surveillance” describes how a person stalking someone else tries to find information or follow the person they are stalking. Examples include but are not limited to showing up to places unexpectedly, watching from a distance, attempting to gather information from family or friends, and tracking or monitoring the person through technology.
“Life Invasion” describes entering a person’s life or personal space without their consent. Examples include but are not limited to entering someone’s home or property, repeated and unwanted contact through texts, calls, emails, etc., sending gifts, impersonation, or even sending photos of themselves at places the person they are stalking goes to regularly.
“Intimidation” describes the impact of all the stalking behaviors that may be present as well as threats to the person getting stalked. Examples can include but are not limited to blackmail, violent displays, threatening implicitly or explicitly to harm the person being stalked, their loved ones, their pets, their reputation, their property, or even threatening to harm themselves.
“Interference” describes actions that interfere with the life or resources of the person being stalked or following through on threats. Examples can include but are not limited to stealing, harming the person socially or professionally, assaulting the person or their loved ones, pets, etc., sharing private information about the person with others, and even holding the person against their will.
Stalking can thus become all-consuming and deeply distressing to the individual. It can greatly increase an individual’s risk of experiencing impacts to both physical health and mental health. as those who experience stalking are more likely to experience chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease than those who do not (SPARC, 2024a). What’s more, 92% of those who experience stalking experience at least one psychological impact or mental health disorder resulting from the stalking (SPARC, 2024a).
Something that further compounds this is how stalking can be perpetrated through targeting or exploiting aspects of a person’s identity. For example, if a person is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, someone stalking them might use anti-LGBTQ+ slurs, threaten to out or does out the individual, or surveilles places that the person considers safe and welcoming (SPARC, 2024b). In a time where a stalking victim may be doubting what they are going through, it is crucial to believe survivors and validate these experiences.
Like many forms of abuse, stalking is most often perpetrated by someone the target of the stalking knows. Roughly 40% of the time the person stalking is an acquaintance (including a family member or someone met through a brief encounter), roughly 40% of the time it is a former intimate partner, and 20% of the time it may be a stranger (SPARC, 2022b). While the image that arises in one’s mind may be that dangerous stalking only occurs by a person unknown to us, this is not the full picture. Intimate partner violence and stalking have a startling intersection. Intimate partner (IP) stalking represents a significant safety risk, as IP stalkers are more likely to threaten their partner with a gun, and the risk of IP homicide is increased by 3 times when stalking is present (SPARC, 2023). In the case of IP femicides, 85% of attempted and 76% of completed IP femicide victims experienced stalking in the year before the attack (SPARC, 2023). If you or someone you know has experienced stalking, you are not alone. Stalking is never the fault of the person it is happening to and it is never okay. In fact, stalking can be reported as a crime depending on the jurisdiction.
Safe Passage offers free and confidential services to survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Our services, including legal advocacy, counseling, and shelter services, are available. For example, legal advocates at Safe Passage may be able to help victims secure a Stalking No Contact Order, which orders a stalker to refrain from the aforementioned behaviors. If you have questions or would like to talk to someone, contact Safe Passage through the 24/7 Hotline: 815.756.5228 and 24/7 Textline: 815.393.1995.
If you would like to learn about Illinois’ statutes on stalking as well as other resources, please visit SPARC’s website: https://www.stalkingawareness.org/map/?j=Illinois
Written by: Shayna Smith
References:
Seattle Pacific University. (n.d.). The History of National Stalking Awareness Month. National Center for Victims of Crime. Retrieved on January 2, 2025 from https://spu.edu/~/media/administration/safety-and-security/documents/History%20of%20Stalking%20Awareness%20Month.ashx
Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (2024a). Health Impacts of Stalking: Fact Sheet. https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SPARC-Stalking-and-Health-Impacts-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (2024b). Stalking Behaviors Targeting LGBTQ+ Individuals. https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SPARC-LGBTQ-SLII-Behaviors.pdf
Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (2023). Stalking & Firearms Fact Sheet. https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SPARC-Stalking-and-Firearms-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center. (2022a). Identifying Stalking: SLII Strategies. https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Identifying-Stalking-as-SLII-Strategies.pdf
Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center (2022b). Stalking in the United States Infographic. https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/General-Stalking-Infographic.pdf
Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center. (2019). Stalking Fact Sheet. https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SPARC_StalkngFactSheet_2018_FINAL.pdf
