Clarksdale, Mississippi 鈥� January is recognized as National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM), a nationwide call to action to address the devastating impact of stalking. This observance highlights stalking as a serious form of interpersonal violence and a crime often linked to physical and sexual assault.
Stalking affects more than 1 in 6 women and 1 in 17 men in the United States. Despite its prevalence, many victims, families, service providers, and justice professionals underestimate its danger and urgency. Survivors frequently endure severe emotional distress, including anxiety, depression, and social isolation, with many forced to take time off work or relocate. Alarmingly, 1 in 5 stalkers use weapons to threaten or harm their victims, and stalking increases the risk of intimate partner homicide by threefold.
Stalking is defined as a pattern of behavior directed at a specific individual, causing fear or emotional distress. Perpetrators often engage in behaviors such as following, monitoring, leaving unwanted gifts, spreading rumors, and persistent digital harassment. Technology-facilitated stalking鈥攖hrough harassment, surveillance, and controlling access to technology鈥攈as become increasingly prevalent, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One challenge in addressing stalking is that individual acts may not seem problematic on their own. However, when part of a repeated pattern, these behaviors constitute a criminal act. Stalking is a crime under federal law, in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Territories, tribal lands, and within the military justice system.
鈥淲e all have a role to play in identifying stalking, intervening when necessary, and supporting victims and survivors,鈥� said Kenneth Gooden, Program Director of the Interpersonal Violence Program.
Throughout January, the Interpersonal Violence Program will host activities to promote awareness and provide public education about stalking. For more information, please contact Kenneth Gooden at (662) 621-4666 or via email at kgooden@coahomacc.edu.