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LGBTQ+ Resources

17th Anniversary of National Stalking Awareness Month

Jennifer Landhuis

Director, Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC)

AEquitas

January 2021 marks the 17th anniversary of National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM), an annual call to action to recognize and respond to the crime of stalking. NSAM was created in 2004 through efforts by activist Debbie Riddle after her youngest sister, Peggy Klinke, was brutally murdered by a stalker on January 18th, 2003.

The Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) is honored to continue NSAM and work with Debbie and other incredible activists to raise awareness about stalking and its devastating impacts. SPARC, a project of AEquitas, was formed in October 2018 through funding from the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. SPARC aims to enhance the response to stalking by ensuring allied professionals have the specialized knowledge to identify and respond to this serious and prevalent crime.

Stalking is defined as a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. In a one-year period in the United States, approximately 6-7.5 million people experience stalking. An estimated one in six women and one in seventeen men experience stalking during their lifetimes. However, we know that despite our best efforts, stalking continues to be under recognized and underreported. As advocates and other professionals, we must be able to identify stalking behaviors and help victims find safety and support, including guiding victims who choose to access and navigate the criminal and civil justice systems

Stalking behaviors are most easily identified by using the acronym SLII, which stands for the categories of stalking behavior: surveillance, life invasion, interference, and intimidation[1]. Surveillance behaviors generally include tactics such as following, watching, using tracking software, waiting for a victim, obtaining information about a victim or engaging in proxy stalking. Life invasion includes unwanted contact at home or work, phone calls, property invasion and public humiliation. Interference includes financial and work sabotage, custody interference, ruining a reputation and physical/sexual attacks. Intimidation includes threats, property damage, forced confrontations and threats by the offender to harm self or others. We know that simply asking victims if they experience stalking isn’t enough, as many individuals do not identify their experience as stalking. Asking, instead, about these specific behaviors can help both victims and responders identify the experience as stalking.

SPARC provides numerous resources to assist professionals in identifying and responding to stalking. During the month of January, we encourage you to join our efforts to Learn, Teach, Share and Reflect. SPARC offers specific resources for victim service providers as well as information for victims and their friends/loved ones.

Because there are so few stalking specific agencies, domestic and sexual violence organizations are often tasked with assisting victims of stalking with safety planning and advocacy. This organizational checklist can help you assess your organization’s efforts to respond to stalking.

We encourage you to promote awareness about stalking during the month of January as well as throughout the entire year. We appreciate all that you do on behalf of stalking victims and to create awareness and response t

[1] Logan, TK & Walker, R (2017). Stalking: A Multidimensional framework for Assessment and Safety Planning. Trauma, Violence and Abuse 18(2) 200-222.

Our Member Organizations

  • Alert! Computer use can be monitored.

    Computer Safety

    WARNING!

    If you are being stalked or abused, take steps to keep your abuser from knowing you are looking for help. Please use a safer computer, or call 911, one of Delaware's local hotlines at 302-762-6110 for New Castle County or 302-422-8058 for Kent & Sussex Counties , or the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224.

    EMERGENCY "QUICK ESCAPE" BUTTON

    There is a red Quick Escape button in the lower right-hand corner of every page on this website.
    Click this button if your abuser enters the room while you are viewing this website. It will close this website and redirect your browser to a neutral page.

    Clean up Your Online Path

    Internet Safety

    Everything you do online is recorded. It is IMPOSSIBLE to clear your tracks completely. Your computer stores hundreds of bits of information about everything you do with your computer, including information about which websites you've visited, your passwords, and what your emails say. An abuser can easily track the websites you visit or read your email messages.

    If you suspect your activities are being monitored, they probably are. Abusers are often controlling and want to know your every move. You don’t need to be a computer programmer or have special skills to monitor someone’s computer activities – anyone can do it and there are many ways to monitor your activities - even without having direct access to your computer. Using a separate computer is best, but you can protect yourself at home by familiarizing yourself with processes like private browsing, deleting your browser history, clearing your cache and deleting cookies.

    You can be tracked

    Your abuser can track your online actions – there is nothing you can do to remove your tracks completely. If you try to erase your tracks, your abuser might become suspicious.
    If you think you might be in danger, use a computer at a public library, internet cafe or a trusted friend’s house. If your abuser sends you email, do not open it on those computers.

    If you need help now, call 911 or the
    New Castle County Domestic Violence Hotline: 302-762-6110
    Kent & Sussex County Domestic Violence Hotline: 302-422-8058
    Kent & Sussex County Bi-lingual Domestic Violence Hotline: 302-745-9874
    US National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233
    US National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-4673
    US National Teen Dating Violence Helpline 1-866-331-9474

    Email Safety

    Email is not a safe or confidential way to communicate.

    Sending email is like sending a postcard through the mail. Anyone along the path can read what it says. If you need to talk to someone about the danger or abuse in your life, if possible, please call a hotline instead.

    If you must use email to discuss your situation we suggest you use an account that your abuser doesn't know about. Set up a new account with a free email service like hotmail, yahoo, or gmail.

    Password Safety

    Be smart about passwords to keep your abuser out of your accounts.

    DO NOT use a name or password that contains any identifying information (no names, nicknames, initials, birthdates, zipcodes, etc.) Instead use a name and password that contains a random mix of letters, CAPITAL letters and numbers (for example, HJ3v67Tn) -

    Make sure you can remember the user name and password. If you must write it down somewhere, put it in a place your abuser is unlikely to find it.

    If the computer asks if you would like it to save your password or login information tell it NO.

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