Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail.
Notice to Readers: National Stalking Awareness Month --- January 2008
January 2008 marks the fifth annual observance of
National Stalking Awareness Month, which aims to raise
awareness about stalking and the need for integrated prevention strategies to reduce the impact of stalking on victims. Stalking is
a criminal justice and public health problem and is linked to intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and
intimate partner homicide. Data from a 2005 CDC study indicated that approximately 7 million women and 2 million men
in the United States had been stalked at some time during their lifetime
(1). Although some stalkers are strangers,
most victims know the person who is stalking them; often, the stalker is a spouse or partner, ex-spouse, acquaintance, or
family member (2).
Although the legal definition of stalking varies widely from state to state, the term "stalking" generally refers
to harassing or threatening behavior a person engages in
repeatedly, such as following a person, appearing at a
person's home or work, making harassing phone calls, leaving threatening messages, or vandalizing a person's property.
Stalking can disrupt a victim's life at home, school, and work and affect their relationships with family, friends, and
coworkers. Stalking also can lead to violence. In an estimated 25%--35% of cases, stalkers commit violence against the persons
they are stalking (3). Factors that increase
the likelihood of violence by stalkers are verbal threats and having had a
prior intimate relationship with the victim
(3). A 10-city, nationally representative study of female homicide
victims conducted in 1999 indicated that 76% of female victims of intimate partner homicides were stalked by their
partners before they were killed (4).
Information about National Stalking Awareness Month and recommendations and safety guidelines for victims
of stalking and persons at risk are available online from the Stalking Resource Center at
http://www.ncvc.org/src/main.aspx. In addition, information on intimate partner and sexual violence is available from CDC at
http://www.cdc.gov/injury.
References
Basile KC, Swahn MH, Chen J, Saltzman LE. Stalking in the United States: recent national prevalence estimates. Am J Prev Med 2006;31:172--5.
Tjaden P, Thoennes N. Stalking in America: findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: National Institute
of Justice, US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 1998. Available at
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/169592.pdf.
Meloy JR. The psychology of stalking: clinical and forensic perspectives. San Diego, CA: Academic Press; 1998.
McFarlane JM, Campbell JC, Wilt S, Sachs CJ, Ulrich Y, Xu X. Stalking and intimate partner femicide. Homicide Studies 1999;3:300--16.
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of
the date of publication.
Disclaimer
All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text
into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version.
Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or
the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables.
An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800.
Contact GPO for current prices.
**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to
mmwrq@cdc.gov.
