Men usually don’t have stalkers. At least not on television. Surprisingly, though, stalking is more gender-neutral that first thought. Studies conducted by the Department of Justice in the United States reports that, “Males were as likely to report being stalked by a male as a female offender: 43% percent of male stalking victims stated that the offender was female, while 41% of male victims stated that the offender was another male. Female victims of stalking were significantly more likely to be stalked by a male (67%) rather than a female (24%) offender.” Thus, while the majority of cases are of the type popularized by television, this is not always the case.
What is Stalking?
Stalking as defined by National Violence Against Women Prevention Research Center as:
A repetitive pattern of unwanted, harassing or threatening behavior committed by one person against another. Acts include: telephone harassment, being followed, receiving unwanted gifts, and other similar forms of intrusive behavior. All states and the Federal Government have passed anti-stalking legislation. Definitions of stalking found in state anti-stalking statutes vary in their language, although most define stalking as “the willful, malicious, and repeated following and harassing of another person that threatens his or her safety
Remember that it is repeated, threatening behavior. This behavior can take both the form of physical and virtual stalking.
As stalking is not geographically focused, all U.S. States and the Federal Government have laws regarding stalking and similar victimization. n January of 2009, The U.S. Department of Justice released a report based on a national crime victims survey of stalking and harassment victims. Below are just a few of the statistics of this 16 page report.
- During a 12-month period an estimated 14 in every 1,000 persons age 18 or older were victims of stalking
- About half (46%) of stalking victims experienced at least one unwanted contact per week
- 11% of victims said they had been stalked for 5 years or more
- The risk of stalking victimization was highest for individuals who were divorced or separated-34 per 1,000 individuals
- Women were at greater risk than men for stalking
- About 43% of victims stated that police were contacted at least once regarding the stalking
- Male (37%) and female (41%) stalking victimizations were equally likely to be reported to the police
- Approximately 1 in 4 stalking victims reported some form of cyberstalking such as e-mail (83%) or instant messaging (35%). Electronic monitoring was used to stalk 1 in 13 victims (i.e. GPS monitoring, bugs, phone tapping, video)
- 46% of stalking victims felt fear of not knowing what would happen next
- Nearly 3 in 4 stalking victims knew their offender in some capacity.
Download the report.
In the next couple of posts, we’ll continue with further information and how you can action against stalking.
If you need advice for yourself, or a loved one, regarding stalking, contact Myers Detective Services. We can help you get the facts, and if necessary, begin an investigation.
