Stalking: A Pattern of Behaviors that Cause Fear

When the word “stalking” is searched in google, quite a few results will try to compare stalking to romance, many that minimize the harm and others that confuse harassment with protection. Our culture uses terms such “Stalking”, “Creeping/Creeper” and “Hanging Around” to normalize this real, extremely harmful and scary criminal act. This presentation will provide information on stalking including; the definition, statistics and prevalence, technology, the connection to domestic violence and sexual assault as well as the link to other crimes such as vandalism, identity theft and harassment.

Objectives:

• Define stalking and understand the prevalence in our society

• Identify other crimes that may coincide with stalking behaviors

• Learn ways to support victims including safety plans, documentation and reporting