On January 13, 2009, the Department of Justice released a study reporting that 3.4 million Americans fell victim to stalkers in a one year span from 2005 to 2006. The report sheds light on the great number of stalking victims, characteristics of how they were stalked, and whether involvement of law enforcement proved effective. To see the entire report, please click here.
Key findings in the report included:
- About half of stalking victims experienced at least one unwanted contact per week;
- 11% of victims said they had been stalked for 5 years or more;
- Women were at far greater risk than men for stalking victimization; however, women and men were equally likely to experience harassment;
- Nearly 75% of stalking victims knew the offender in some capacity;
- Male and female stalking victims were equally likely to report it to the police;
- Divorced or separated individuals were at highest risk of being stalked;
- Approximately 25% of stalking victims reported some type of cyberstalking (83% of which reported stalking via e-mail, and 35% stalking via instant messaging); and
- More than half of stalking victims lost 5 or more days of work for fear of safety or to deal with legal attempts to remedy the situation.
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