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CITY, N.D. – (NewsDakota.com) January is National Stalking Awareness Month, a time to focus on a crime that affected 7.5 million victims in one year.  The theme—“Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It.”

In one of five cases, stalkers use weapons to harm or threaten victims, and stalking is one of the significant risk factors for femicide (homicide of women) in abusive relationships.  Victims suffer anxiety, social dysfunction, and severe depression at much higher rates than the general population, and many lose time from work or have to move as a result of their victimization.

One in four victims reports that the stalker uses technology, such as global positioning system devices, or hidden cameras, to track the victim’s daily activities. 

Stalkers fit no standard psychological profile, and many stalkers follow their victims from one jurisdiction to another, making it difficult for authorities to investigate and prosecute their crimes.

Abused Person’s Outreach Center Director Kasey Skalicky said communities that understand stalking can support victims and combat the crime. She said “If more people learn to recognize stalking we have a better chance to protect victims and prevent tragedies.”

For more information call the APOC office in Valley City at 701-845-0078.  For additional resources to help promote National Stalking Awareness Month, please visit http://stalkingawarenessmonth.org and www.ovw.usdoj.gov.