3.4M people stalked

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moshquerade

moshquerade

No Lifer
Nov 1, 2001
61,504
12
56
Have you ever been stalked?


Unprecedented U.S. survey tracks scope of stalking
Posted 22h 54m ago

NEW YORK (AP) ? An estimated 3.4 million Americans identified themselves as victims of stalking during a one-year span, according to federal crime experts who on Tuesday released the largest-ever survey of the aggravating and often terrifying phenomenon.

About half of the victims experienced at least one unwanted contact per week from a stalker, and 11% had been stalked for five or more years, according to the report by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. It covered a 12-month period in 2005-06.

The study was described as a groundbreaking effort to analyze the scope and varying forms of stalking, which had not been featured in previous versions of the National Crime Victimization Survey.

The researchers defined stalking as a course of conduct, directed at a specific person on at least two separate occasions, that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. The most commonly reported types of stalking were unwanted phone calls (66 percent), unsolicited letters or e-mail (31 percent), or having rumors spread about the victim (36 percent).

More than one-third of the victims reported being followed or spied upon; some said they were tracked by electronic monitoring, listening devices or video cameras.

Nearly 75% of victims knew their stalker in some capacity ? most commonly a former spouse or ex-boyfriend/girlfriend.

Women were far more likely than men to be stalking victims, and people who were divorced or separated were more vulnerable than other marital categories. People aged 18-24 were more likely to be stalked than older people.

Victims reported suffering a range of emotions because of the stalking. Their most common fears included not knowing what would happen next (46 percent) and fearing the stalking would continue indefinitely (29 percent). Nine percent of the victims said their worst fear was death.

According to the report, about 130,000 victims said they had been fired or asked to leave their job because of problems arising from the stalking. About one in eight of all employed victims lost time from work, either for fear for their safety or to pursue activities such as seeking a restraining order or testifying in court.

Mary Lou Leary, a former federal prosecutor who is executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime, said she was struck by the persistence of some of the stalking behavior depicted in the report.

"When you consider the impact that stalking has on a victim's life, five weeks is forever ? five years is incredible," she said. "They often have to give up their current life, leave their jobs, their homes, establish a whole new identity."

Leary credited law enforcement authorities with taking stalking serious, but she said more needs to be done to strengthen anti-stalking laws and to expand the resources to combat it.

The federal government and all 50 states have enacted laws making stalking a crime, but the laws and definitions of stalking vary widely.

The survey's authors tracked a range of stalking behaviors, including waiting for the victim at a certain location, sending unwanted messages or leaving an unwanted present.

"While individually these acts may not be criminal, collectively and repetitively these behaviors may cause a victim to fear for his or her safety or the safety of a family member," the report said.

About 40% of the victims reported the stalking to the police, and about one-fifth filed charges.

The largest previous study of stalking, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2005, estimated that 7 million women and 2 million men in the U.S. had been stalked at some time during their life. It found that violence was committed against the stalking victims in at least 25% of the cases.
Click to expand...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/n...9-01-13-stalking_N.htm
 
Jeff7

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
20
81
:( No one's ever cared enough to stalk me.

Though 3.4M people is around 1.5% of the US population, isn't it?

 
moshquerade

moshquerade

No Lifer
Nov 1, 2001
61,504
12
56
I've been stalked online and it crossed over into real life. That's why I'm more protective now.
 
meltdown75

meltdown75

Lifer
Nov 17, 2004
37,548
7
81
i don't think i've ever been stalked.

my wife has though, online on facebook. someone signed up using one of her colleague's names and messaged her back and forth for several months.

it wasn't until the actual REAL colleague who was being impersonated asked her how things were going that she realized she had been talking with an impostor the entire time.

the person had even tried to set up a coffee date with her, saying things like, "it doesn't have to be when your husband is around, i wouldn't want to intrude...", trying to get her alone.

made me feel quite punchy.

she deleted the contact from her friend list, and one email came back a couple months later saying something to the effect of, "it seems we lost touch" and she just deleted that without responding.

we've since got several hangup phone calls from blocked numbers too.

makes me really want to kick some ass.

unfortunately she was a lecturer at a university a couple years ago and she did hundreds of 1-on-1 meetings with students. there's just no telling who it could be.

we hope the stalker has forgot about her :/
 
I

imported_Imp

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2005
9,148
0
0
I use to get a LOT of crank calls when I was in grade school... My guess is that it was male on male stalking though... *sigh*
 
Duddy

Duddy

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2002
4,677
15
81
If I knew that someone was stalking me, it wouldn't count as stalking. It would count as a wierdo following me.
 
BeauJangles

BeauJangles

Lifer
Aug 26, 2001
13,941
1
0
amish

amish

Diamond Member
Aug 20, 2004
4,295
6
81
an ex stalked me during my freshman year in college. she even tried to become friends with my girlfriend just to get back into my life.
 
Oceandevi

Oceandevi

Diamond Member
Jan 20, 2006
3,085
1
0
Originally posted by: moshquerade
I've been stalked online and it crossed over into real life. That's why I'm more protective now.
Click to expand...

yeah but ill get you someday...
 
W

Wheezer

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
6,731
1
81
The researchers defined stalking as a course of conduct, directed at a specific person on at least two separate occasions, that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.
Click to expand...


I call bullshit....that definition is WAYYYY too broad.

Everyone thinks they are a "reasonable" person...even the nervous nellies that jump when someone flips them off on the road.

If I flip the same guy off twice in one month and it "scares" him..it does not mean I am a stalker...it means that he drives like an idiot and I am just doing my job as a good citizen and letting him know.

or having rumors spread about the victim[
Click to expand...


LMAO..gee then I guess every kid in school is stalking another kid.

What a bunch of crap.
 
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