Stalking victimization
- 3.4 million people over the age of 18 are stalked each year in the United States.*
- 61% of female victims and 44% of male victims of stalking are stalked by a current or former intimate partner.*
- 25% of female victims and 32% of male victims are stalked by an acquaintance.*
- About half of all victims of stalking indicated that they were stalked before the age of 25.*
- Common examples of stalking tactics include:*
- approaching the victim or showing up in places when the victim didn’t want them to be there
- making unwanted telephone calls; leaving the victim unwanted messages (text or voice)
- watching or following the victim from a distance
- spying on the victim with a listening device, camera, or global positioning system
- 46% of stalking victims experience at least one unwanted contact per week.**
- 11% of stalking victims have been stalked for 5 years or more.**
*Matthew J. Breiding et al., “Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization - National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, United States, 2011”, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report, Vol. 63, No. 8 (2014)
**Katrina Baum et al., “Stalking Victimization in the United States,” (Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009).
Impact of stalking on victims
- 46% of stalking victims fear not knowing what will happen next.*
- 29% of stalking victims fear the stalking will never stop.*
- 1 in 8 employed stalking victims lose time from work as a result of their victimization and more than half lose 5 days of work or more.*
- 1 in 7 stalking victims move as a result of their victimization.*
- The prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression is much higher among stalking victims than the general population, especially if the stalking involves being followed or having one's property destroyed.**
*Katrina Baum et al., “Stalking Victimization in the United States,” (Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009).
**Eric Blauuw et al., “The Toll of Stalking,” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17, no. 1 (2002):50-63.
Stalking and intimate partner femicide
- 76% of intimate partner femicide victims have been stalked by their intimate partner.*
- 67% had been physically abused by their intimate partner.*
- 89% of femicide victims who had been physically assaulted had also been stalked in the 12 months before their murder.*
- 79% of abused femicide victims reported being stalked during the same period that they were abused.*
- 54% of femicide victims reported stalking to police before they were killed by their stalkers. *
*Judith McFarlane et al., “Stalking and Intimate Partner Femicide,” Homicide Studies 3, no. 4 (1999).
OSS can help
If you’re not sure if what you or a friend are dealing with constitutes stalking, you can make an appointment with OSS. OSS special investigators can assist with:
- A consultation to assist in determining if someone is being harassed or stalked
- Developing a safety plan
- Providing information about resources both on and off campus
- A consultation to assist in determining if a relationship is abusive
- A consultation to help someone decide if they want to remain in a relationship and, if not, how to leave the relationship safely
- Connect a person with law enforcement if making a report
- Assist someone to obtain a protection order
If you would like to learn more about resources and support, please contact Cheryl Michaels, associate director of safety and security (michac@spu.edu). For additional resources to help promote National Stalking Awareness Month, please visit stalkingawarenessmonth.org and www.ovw.usdoj.gov.