January 2026 marks the 22nd annual National Stalking Awareness Month. This year's theme is "Know it, Name it, and Stop it". We are asking everyone to learn and talk openly about the underrecognized and often traumatic and dangerous crime of stalking.
More than 1 in 5 women and approximately 1 in 10 men in the US experience stalking in their lifetimesi, yet it frequently goes unnamed and unaddressed. It takes a community to recognize and respond to stalking. Everyone can do their part to make our community safer and the first step is learning what stalking looks like beyond the overdramatized portrayals in TV shows and movies.
Stalking is defined as a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear or emotional distress. Since fear can look different for different people, stalking can, too. Stalkers often engage in behaviors that might seem harmless to outsiders but are terrifying in context. Most stalkers target people that they know, and many are current or former intimate partners or acquaintancesii who have knowledge about the victim’s specific vulnerabilities and fears. Individual incidents may or may not be criminal acts, but when viewed together as a pattern, they can be recognized as stalking. Common stalking tactics include unwanted communication, showing up uninvited, spreading rumors, and following and watching the victim. At its core stalking is about power and control, and it often intersects with intimate partner violence.
The risks to stalking survivors extend beyond the fear and emotional distress that the act of stalking causes. A new study published this year found that the risk of cardiovascular disease was 41% higher in women who experienced stalking and 70% higher in women with experience obtaining a protective order, compared to women without these experiences; and women who reported both had the highest elevated riskiii. Among stalking victims, 92% report one or more psychological impacts from their victimizationiv and 25% report feeling physically sick as a result of their victimizationv. Stalking can impact every aspect of a survivor’s life, yet many victims, families, service providers, and criminal and civil justice professionals underestimate its danger and urgency.
Most victims tell friends or family about their situation first, and how you respond can influence whether they decide to get help.
Take their concerns seriously.
Many victims have minimized their fears or the actions of their stalker. Validating their experiences and helping them recognize the distressing patterns can go a long way towards the victim seeking help.
Let them know it's not their fault.
Remind them that they deserve to be treated with respect and that nothing that they did caused the stalkers behavior.
Protect the victim's privacy and safety.
The stalker might try to manipulate you into sharing information. If their stalker contacts you, prioritize the victim's safety.
Check-in with them.
Follow up with the victim as often and in whatever way they decide feels safe. Continuing the conversation and making sure they make it home can help your and their peace of mind.
Make a plan.
Encourage the victim to think about safety planning, to keep a log of the stalking (find a template here), and to seek out help. Victim Services will help as much as we can but keep in mind that that the victim is the expert on their own life and safety. If they aren't ready to reach out for help that's okay. You can't force them to ask for help. The stalker is already taking away the victim's power to choose and their freedom to live without fear. You can give information and support to help them make the decision that is right for them.
Whether you are a concerned community member, the friend or family of a stalking survivor, or a survivor yourself support is available. Everyone deserves safety, dignity, and validation. And every one of us can help create communities that take stalking seriously. Even as this year's National Stalking Awareness Month ends, our work to help others recognize and respond to stalking continues. We will continue to "Know It, Name It, and Stop It". Learn the signs and trust your instincts. You can always reach out to Victim Services for support.
SPARC provides tools, trainings, and education to help communities better identify and respond to stalking. We've collected some of their resources below but their extensive website has lots to offer.
Statistics and key information on stalking, its impact on victims, offender, and stalking laws.
How can you keep yourself safe? The above link has resources to help you to start safety planning. You can make a plan on your own but it's sometimes helpful to work with someone else. Contact our office and our trained advocates will help.
Since stalking involves a pattern of behavior it can be helpful to keep a log of any incidents or the behaviors and tactics your stalker is using. The log at the link above might make it easier for you or others to recognize the pattern and notice if there are any changes.
i. Smith, S.G., Stevens, M.R., Yue, X., Chen, J., Basile, K.C., Breiding, M.J., & Zhu, S. (2025). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2023/2024 Stalking Data Brief. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/stalking-brief.pdf
iii. Smith, S.G., Basile, K.C., & Kresnow, M. (2022). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2016/2017 Report on Stalking. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/documentation/nisvsStalkingReport.pdf
ii. Lawn, R.B., Murchland, A.R., Thurston, R.C., Marquez, C., Jakubowski, K., Sampson, L., Sumner, J.A., Kubzansky, L.D., and Koenen, K.C. (2025). Experiences of Stalking and Obtaining a Restraining Order Are Associated with Onset of Cardiovascular Events in Women: A Prospective Analysis in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Circulation 152(9): 570-581. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.073592
iv. Storey, J. E., Pina, A., & Williams, C. S. (2023). The impact of stalking and its predictors: Characterizing the needs of stalking victims. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(21-22), 11569-11594. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231185303
v. Brady, P. (2024). Analysis of the 2019 National Crime Victimization Survey: Supplemental Victimization Survey. (ICPSR version) [data file and codebook]. United States: Bureau of Justice Statistics [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor]. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37950.v1