January is Stalking Awareness Month

(EAGAN,
Minn., January 2023) – January is
Stalking Awareness Month as launched in 2004 by the National Center for Victims
of Crime to promote recognition of stalking as a crime.  Since then, stalking
has been recognized as a crime and precursor to other crimes such as human
trafficking, rape and ultimately, murder.

 “Stalking is motivated by perpetrators to gain or maintain control over
their victims,” said Lori Jump, chief executive officer for StrongHearts Native
Helpline. “Historically, the interest was to control people, land and resources.  Today, at least one in four stalking incidents involve a current or previous
personal relationship.”

 Violence Against Native
American Women and Men

According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Justice, more than four in five Native women (84.3
percent) have experienced violence in their lifetime while intimate partner
violence manifests alarming rates of other types of violence, including:

 

●    
Stalking
(48.8 percent)

●    
Physical
violence (55.5 percent)

●    
Sexual
violence (56.1 percent)

●    
Emotional
Abuse (66.4 percent)

 

The rate of violence perpetrated by non-Natives is astonishing with 97
percent of female victims and 90 percent of male victims reporting violence at
the hands of interracial (non-Native) intimate partners, while fewer Native
victims: 35 percent of female victims and 33 percent of male victims
experienced intraracial (Native) intimate partner violence (IPV).

Stalking, sexual assault, physical violence, and psychological
aggression are the top four categories of violence perpetrated against Native
people wherein almost 3 million Native women and men have been victims of
violence and just over 1.2 million Native women and men have been stalked.

 

What is Stalking?

Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that
would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety or the safety of
others. It includes unwanted attention, harassment and/or threats and multiple
forms of abuse. Ultimately, stalking is an attempt to manipulate, convince or
coerce victims into compliance.

Red flags include:

●    
Repeated
calls, text messages, e-mails, or posts via social media

●    
The
perpetrator shows up at the victim’s known whereabouts  (e.g., near home, work, school, etc)

●    
Threatening
to hurt the victim and/or people they care about.

 

Cyberstalking is a form of digital abuse where abusers hurt, threaten or
intimidate their victim using phones, computers or social media. Methods
include:

●    
using
technology to track, find and/or disseminate personal information about the
victim.

●    
sending
threatening or insulting messages.

●    
using
the victims devices to create clone profiles and/or send malicious content.

 

Victim And Perpetrator
Demographics

According to the Stalking, Prevention, Awareness
Resource Center,
(SPARC):

●    
People
aged 18-24 experience the highest rate of stalking victimization.

●    
More
than twice as many victims are stalked with technology than without.

●    
2
in 3 of stalkers pursue their victims at least once per week using more than
one method of contact.

●    
Weapons
are used to harm or threaten victims in 1 out of 5 cases

●    
Intimate
partner stalkers are the most likely stalkers to approach, threaten, and harm
their victims.

●    
More
than 80% of survivors reported the person stalking them was known to them in
some way.

●    
Strangers
are reported as the perpetrator of stalking in less than 25% of stalking cases.

Legal note: It should be noted that although stalking is against the law
in every state, the crime of stalking is defined differently in all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, and on tribal and federal lands.

 

StrongHearts Can Help

If you or someone you know is being hurt by a stalker, learn more about
safety planning and read: Creating A Separation Plan and
Preparedness Kit.  For more information, StrongHearts Native Helpline can be reached via call or
text 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483) or chat online at strongheartshelpline.org.
Advocates are available 24/7. 

 

SOURCE

 

1. André B. Rosay, "Violence Against
   American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men," (June 1, 2016) https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/violence-against-american-indian-and-alaska-native-women-and-men. Accessed December 21, 2022
2. Stalkingawareness.org “Stalking Fact
   Sheet.” https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SPARC_StalkngFactSheet_2018_FINAL.pdf. Accessed December 22, 2022
3. Safe Horizon, “Stalking Statistics and
   Facts.”  https://www.safehorizon.org/get-informed/stalking-statistics-facts/#definition/. Accessed December 23, 2022
4. StrongHearts Native Helpline, “Creating A Separation Plan
   and Preparedness Kit.” Accessed December 27, 2022