January is National Stalking Awareness Month

Stalking is a topic that is slowly rising from the shadows. More people are talking about what stalking is and sharing personal experiences.

Stalking: when a person is repeatedly watched or followed by another to the point of harassment or fear. It is a global issue and is typically committed by someone known to the victim.

In Canada, more than one in ten Canadian women expressed that they have been stalked by someone in a way that made them fear for their life. In 2006, there were 16,000 incidents of criminal harassment or stalking reported to the police, which included being followed, receiving threatening voice messages, receiving unwanted gifts or being repeatedly contacted. Of these 16,000 individuals, 76% involved female victims and most victims knew the harasser. 63% of stalking victims chose not to report incidents of stalking to police. (Statistics Canada, 2006).

Raise awareness of stalking during the month of January by commenting or posting statuses on social media sites, or talking about the topics of stalking to others. Show your support to help end the issue of stalking through being an ally to survivors you may come across.