National Stalking Awareness Week 2016 runs from 18th  – 24th April 2016. The week is to raise awareness around the dangers of stalking and the current issues facing victims. 

What is stalking?

Stalking is a pattern of repeat and persistent unwanted behaviour that is intrusive and engenders fear. It is when one person becomes obsessed with another and the attention is unwanted

Stalking includes:
•    Repeatedly using the internet to publish information about a person
•    Repeatedly monitoring a person online
•    Repeatedly watching or spying on a person
•    Repeatedly following or waiting for someone
•    Repeatedly going to a persons home or place of work
•    Contacting workplaces and colleagues
•    Repeatedly sending unwanted letters or gifts
•    Persistently trying to find out personal information about  a person
•    Making threats to hurt someone
•    Making threats to hurt those close to a person
•    Making threats to hurt a person’s  children
•    Contacting  friends and people close to a person
•    Sending obscene or sexually explicit messages

While stalking may be perpetrated by strangers or acquaintances, stalking is most often committed against women by former or current partners.

Statistics

•    1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men are stalked at some point in their lives, although this is likely to be an underestimation. 
•    National Stalking Helpline Statistics show that the majority of victims (80.4%) are female while the majority of perpetrators (70.5%) are male
•    36.8% of people that have been stalked had been stalked using online methods such as by Facebook or email
•    Of all online and offline stalking cases in Britain, only 26.6% had been reported to the police
•    The Metropolitan Police found that 40% of the victims of domestic homicides had also been stalked

Support

If you are the victim of harassment and stalking looking for  practical support you may find the following agencies helpful:
National Stalking Helpline
Suzy Lamplugh Trust 

Our Domestic violence solicitors can provide emergency advice on how to protect you and any children involved if you are the victim of stalking.  If you are at immediate risk we act quickly to obtain a court injunction and to take steps to ensure the orders are complied with and enforced.  

Our accredited Domestic violence solicitors can work closely with other local agencies and can provide advice on all of the options open to you. This means that you can make the best, informed decisions and keep your family safe