What is Stalking?

-A good working definition of stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.

Stalking Statistics:

-An estimated 6-7.5 million people are stalked in a one year period in the United States.

-Nearly 1 in 6 women and 1 in 17 men have experienced stalking victimization at some point in their lifetime.

–People aged 18-24 have the highest rate of stalking victimization.

-About half of all victims of stalking indicated that they were stalked before the age of 25.

–The majority of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know. Many victims are stalked by a current or former intimate partner, or by an acquaintance.

-Stalkers use many tactics including: Approaching the victim or showing up in places when the victim didn’t want them to be; making unwanted telephone calls; leaving the victim unwanted messages (text or voice); watching or following the victim from a distance, or spying on the victim with a listening device, camera, or GPS.

Resources:

-Title IX Office: 417-836-6810; Website: https://www.missouristate.edu/TitleIX/

-University Safety: 417-836-5509; Website: https://www.missouristate.edu/safety/threats-and-stalking.htm

-Springfield Police Department: 417-864-1810; Website: https://www.springfieldmo.gov/285/Stalking

-The Victim Center: 417-864-7233 (SAFE) – this is a 24-hour crisis response hotline; Website: https://www.thevictimcenter.org/ 

* Source for the above stats: Smith, S.G., Zhang, X., Basile, K.C., Merrick, M.T., Wang, J., Kresnow, M., Chen, J. (2018). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2015 Data Brief. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.