Stalking is the willful, malicious and repeated harassing of an individual by another person. In general, for behavior to qualify as stalking the attention given to someone must be repeated and it must create fear in a reasonable person. Any repetitive, obsessive, or unwanted contact or behavior that threatens or places fear in the victim constitutes stalking, including the following:
- Following the Individual
- Showing Up at Her/His Home or Workplace
- Sending Unwanted Messages(Including Email) or Objects
- Vandalizing Property
- Making Harassing Telephone Calls
Did You Know?
- Stalkers are motivated by obsession and a desire for control.
- On some campuses, as many as 35 percent of female students have been stalked, and 80 percent of these women knew their stalker.
- According to the National Violence Against Women Survey, more than half of all stalking victims are between the ages of 18 and 29 years of age.
- The risk of being a stalking victim is increased by a number of factors: the propensity to be in places with alcohol; living alone; being in a dating relationship, especially early in the relationship, as opposed to being married or living with an intimate partner; being an undergraduate; being from an affluent family; and having experienced sexual victimization before the beginning of the current academic year.
- Among racial/ethnic groups, Asian/Pacific Islander women were significantly less likely to be stalked, while American Indian/Alaska Native women had the highest likelihood of any racial/ethnic group to experience stalking.
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