Schuylkill Women in Crisis announced that January Is National Stalking Awareness Month.
Stalking generally refers to harassing or threatening behavior that a person engages in repeatedly, such as following a person, appearing at a person’s home or place of business, making harassing phone calls, leaving written messages or objects, or vandalizing a person’s property (National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998).
Although the federal government, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories have enacted criminal laws to address stalking, the legal definition of stalking varies across jurisdictions. State laws vary in the level of victim fear and emotional distress addressed as well as the requisite intent of the stalker. Some state laws specify that the victim must be frightened by the stalking, whereas others require only that the stalking would cause a reasonable person to experience fear. State laws also vary on what level of fear is required to be considered stalking (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2012).
Stalking is a common behavior that abusers use to intimidate and control victims, especially those who are trying to leave abusive relationships. For more information, contact SWiC at 570.622.3991 or www.s-wic.org.
Here is the link to the Schuylkill Women in Crisis January Newsletter.
http://www.s-wic.org/newsletter/