Stalking can happen to anyone.
1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men in the U.S. have experienced stalking victimization at some point during their lifetime. (The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey)
Resource: NHCADSVA person commits the crime of stalking in New Hampshire when one “Purposely, knowingly, or recklessly engages in a course of conduct targeted at a specific person which would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her personal safety or the safety of a member of that person’s immediate family, and that person is placed in fear.” Violations of protection orders, divorce decrees or bail conditions that prohibit contact between a victim and abuser can also be a criminal stalking offense.• Power and Control
• Rejection
• Obsession – The daily life of the victim becomes the daily life of the stalker. The stalker begins to focus less on his or her personal routine and focus more on the victim’s whereabouts. This type of stalker may have exhibited obsession behaviors in other parts of their lives.
• Sexual Gratification (voyeurism)
• Planning to commit a crime
• Fantasy – The line between fantasy and reality is severely blurred. The fantasy becomes so real that the stalker truly thinks that they have a relationship with the victim.A typical pattern of emotions stalking victims experience are listed below:
• Victims may deny the problem at first
• They may try to bargain with the stalker
• Anxiety sets in and victims may become preoccupied by the fear of not knowing when the stalker may turn up next
• Exhaustion follows and victims may feel depressed
• Victims begin to blame themselves
• Eventually, victims may get very angry and may be ready to take action to get the stalker out of their life
• Finally, acceptance of the situation sets in and it is then that victims can begin to deal with the situation objectivelyTechnology such as cell phones, the internet, email and GPS devices can all be used by abusers to stalk and control victims. There are many ways you can increase your safety.