Though millions of people are stalked every year in the United States, the crime of stalking is often misunderstood, minimized, and/or ignored.
Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that causes fear. Many stalking victims experience being followed, approached and/or threatened – including through technology. Stalking is a terrifying and psychologically harmful crime in its own right as well as a predictor of potentially lethal violence: 1 in 5 stalkers use weapons to threaten or harm victims, and stalking increases the risk of intimate partner homicide by three times.
We all have a role to play in identifying stalking and supporting victims and survivors. This January, to commemorate National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM), our friends at the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) are once again sharing facts and insights on social media to help you learn more about stalking and find out how to promote change in your community. Find them on Instagram and Twitter, @followuslegally, and head to their NSAM webpage: https://www.stalkingawareness.org/stalking-awareness-month-2021/.
Join us for two special NSAM events!
NCALL and SPARC are hosting two events this month: a webinar on January 19 that examines stalking in the context of elder abuse – its prevalence, dynamics, implications, & resources available for survivors; and an Ask Us Anything Chat on the NCALL Older Victims of Crime Trainers and Educators Forum on January 28. Both events will feature NCALL’s Justice System Coordinator, Ann E. Laatsch, J.D., and SPARC’s Associate Advisor, Dana Fleitman, M.A.Ed.H.D..
Webinar
Stalking and Older Adults: An Overview
January 19, 2021
2:30 pm ET
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Udl_kXLJTNybVKsCqes8-Q
Registration questions? Email Alicia Lord, NCALL Event Coordinator, at alord@ncall.us.
Ask Us Anything Forum Chat
January 28, 2021
2:00 pm ET
Join the NCALL Older Victims of Crime Trainers and Educators Forum to participate: https://www.ncall.us/forum/
Registration questions? Email Katie Block, NCALL Project Coordinator, at kblock@ncall.us.