Okay, be honest: how many of us are guilty of doing a little “Facebook stalking” late at night? I know I am.
However, there is a significant difference between spending some extra time looking at photos of your friends online and using social media as a tactic in stalking. Technology has provided stalkers with enhanced methods for tracking their victims, created additional avenues to be able to contact them, and helped evolve tactics for keeping an eye on their victim, or contacting them, without leaving a trace of evidence. This is called “cyberstalking.”
For victims of stalking, it is an absolutely terrifying experience to be bombarded by notifications, text messages, phone calls, and even gifts and notes from their stalker. Those who are being stalked may live in constant fear of receiving yet another message or not knowing if it is safe for them to go to work, school, or even the grocery store. As a result, the prevalence of anxiety and depression is extremely common among those being stalked. It is also common for stalking to coincide with domestic violence, and in many cases, the stalker’s behaviors escalate, even leading to killing of the victim.
Even though stalking is a crime in all 50 states, it can be very difficult, from a forensic perspective, to prove that a particular person has been stalking someone. Simultaneously, technology allows for stalkers to track their victims without being noticed, and allows them to obscure their true identity from law enforcement and other officials. Consequently, stalking is a lethal tactic abusers can utilize for years to frighten, intimidate, and ultimately take the life of their partner or ex-partner. According to the Stalking Resource Center, “89 percent of femicide victims who had been physically assaulted had also been stalked in the 12 months before their murder.” Because stalking is such a harmful act, domestic violence advocates and law enforcement have identified the presence of stalking in intimate partner relationships, to be an indicator of high risk levels with increased probability of physical injuries and lethality.
January is stalking awareness month and it is important to take an opportunity to educate yourself and those around you on the risk factors of stalking, and steps you can take to safeguard yourself from possible cyberstalking. Some key steps to protect yourself online are to turn off the location settings on your smartphone and social media apps, passcode protect your phone, do not give out your personal passwords, and look over your phone to make sure there are no suspicious apps installed. If you are being stalked by your current or former partner, or even someone you do not know, these are helpful steps to take, but it is also important to contact law enforcement, document any messages you are receiving, and also speak with an advocate from your local domestic violence resource center.
To learn more about stalking you can visit the Stalking Resource Center’s website here or visit the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s website to download their Technology Safety App at: http://nnedv.org/
Safe Voices is the local domestic violence resource center that supports those affected by domestic violence and works to create social change in our communities. If you would like more information around stalking or to speak with an advocate please call:
Farmington: 778-6107
Lewiston: 795-6744
Norway: 743-5806
Rumford: 369-0750
Or call our 24/7 confidential Helpline: 1-800-559-2927
