Stalking is a serious issue affecting more than six million people each year. It can be a terrifying crime for those who experience it, and it is often one of many tactics that abusers use in order to maintain power and control over a current or former intimate partner.
Identifying Stalking Behaviors
The United States Department of Justice defines stalking as “engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for [their] safety or the safety of others or suffer substantial emotional distress.” Stalking often encompasses unwanted, repeated behaviors that are intended to surveil, monitor, threaten, and ultimately scare someone, such as:
- Communicating persistently via phone, text messages, or social media
- Sending unwelcome items or gifts
- Showing up repeatedly at someone’s home, school, or workplace
- Following someone in-person or via technology (like a GPS device or an app)
- Intentionally damaging someone’s property
- Threatening someone or their family, friends, or pets
Learn more at https://nnedv.org/latest_update/connecting-dots-stalking-domestic-violence/