January 2021 marks the seventeenth annual National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM), an annual call to action to recognize and respond to the serious crime of stalking.
The term stalking is sometimes used in a joking manner to express a curiosity, fondness, or infatuation for someone. This happens on social media. Movies or TV dramas also frequently romanticize stalking. Often stalking is portrayed as a persistent pursuing of a crush leads to a fairytale ending. However, stalking is not a joke or romantic. Stalking is a dangerous form of abuse that can have lasting consequences on victims and survivors. In fact, 1 and 6 women and 1 in 17 men will be stalked in their lifetime.
Stalking is a series of repeated actions that make someone feel afraid, distressed or intimidated.
The following links offer more information and resources:
IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS IN IMMEDIATE DANGER, CALL 9-1-1 OR LOCAL POLICE