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Stalking

Revision as of 03:30, 23 February 2008 by 68.103.71.85 (contribs) (→‎Motives)
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This article refers to the crime of stalking. For other uses of the term please see Stalking (disambiguation).

Stalking is a legal term for repeated harassment or other forms of invasion of a person's privacy in a manner that causes fear to its target. Statutes vary between jurisdiction but may proscribe such acts as:

  • repeated following;
  • unwanted contact (by letter-writing, or other means of communication); or
  • observing a person's actions extremely closely for an extended period of time;
  • contacting family members, friends, or associates of a target inappropriately;
  • performance of actions or skits designed to frighten or terrorize. see Street theater

Motives

Many stalking cases come out of previous relationships, and are conducted by people who are otherwise considered "normal". A sizable minority of stalking cases, typically the more severe and lengthy ones, are sometimes done out of a pathological obsession or derangement. Stalking is often a form of psychological abuse.

Stalking may involve the intent to acquire private information or objects. Common victims of stalking include:

  • ex-husbands/wives;
  • ex-boyfriends/girlfriends (somebody stalking an ex-lover whom they want back, or even a present lover of an ex-lover, or other cases of unrequited love);
  • people in highly visible or social professions, such as teachers, counsellors, doctors and celebrities (a fan stalking a celebrity, or public figure); and
  • prominent dissidents, political or otherwise;
  • whistleblowers, activists, revenge for hire

According to the National Center For The Victims Of Crime, 1 out of every 12 women will be stalked during her lifetime. 1 out of 45 men will be stalked during his lifetime. Over one million women, and nearly 380,000 men are stalked annually. Exactly like any other crime or clinical disorder, stalking exists on a continuum of severity. The stalking may be so subtle that the victim may not even aware that it is happening, or the perpetrator may have no malicious intent. They may even have a sincere belief that the victim would like them, or have a desire to help the victim. Most cases of stalking do not even rise to extreme levels of violence or harassment. [1]

Laws on stalking

The laws against stalking in different jurisdictions vary, and so do the definitions. Some make the act illegal as it stands, while others do only if the stalking becomes threatening or endangers the receiving end. The first law to criminalise stalking in developed countries is the one in California, enacted in 1990. Within seven years thereafter, every state in the United States and some other common-law jurisdictions followed suit to create the crime of stalking, perhaps under different names such as criminal harassment or criminal menace. In England and Wales, liability may arise in the event that the victim suffers either mental or physical harm as a result of being stalked (see R. v. Constanza).

Many states in the US also recognize stalking as grounds for issuance of a civil restraining order. Since this requires a lower burden of proof than a criminal charge, laws recognizing non-criminal allegations of stalking suffer the same risk of abuse seen with false allegations of domestic violence.

In 2000, Japan enacted a national law to combat this behaviour. However, the nature of the acts of stalking can be viewed as acts "interfering the tranquility of others' lives", and are prohibited under petty offence laws in China, made in 1987 (replaced by a new law, but the substance is preserved). Stalking, as in the context of organised crimes suppression, is expressly forbidden under Macau's laws.

Many young people misuse the term "stalk" as a synonym for mere information obtaining that may not be malicious albeit the term stalk really refers to a more "malicious" obtaining of information.


Effects of Stalking

Potential Effects of Stalking on a Victim’s Mental and Emotional Health:

  • Denial and self-doubt (the victim does not believe what is happening to them)
  • Self-blame
  • Guilt, shame or embarrassment
  • Frustration
  • Low self-esteem
  • Self-consciousness or insecurity
  • Shock and confusion
  • Irritability
  • Fear and anxiety
  • Anger
  • Depression
  • Emotional numbness
  • Isolation/disconnection from other people
  • Feeling on guard most of the time (aka hypervigilance); being easily startled
  • A loss of interest in once enjoyable activities
  • Feeling suicidal
  • A loss of trust in others and in one’s own perception
  • Feeling violent towards the stalker
  • Decreased ability to perform at work or school, or accomplish daily tasks.


Potential Effects of Stalking on a Victim’s Physiological Health:

  • Sleep disturbances, nightmares
  • Flashbacks
  • Problems with sex and intimacy
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Fatigue
  • Phobias and panic attacks
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Fluctuations in weight
  • Dermatological breakouts
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Self-medication with alcohol/drugs
  • Heart palpitations and sweating
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

[2][3][4] [5]

Stalked public figures

Some stalkers have been following celebrities around since the advent of yellow journalism. In some cases, the stalking behaviour in question is quite harmless and does not go to extremes. In other cases, however, the celebrities being targeted:

  • have to leave their profession for many years while they build a new life (e.g. Andrea Evans);
  • have their homes constantly searched by political authorities when away, while often returning with a house surrounded by bugs and recording devices. They are also forced to live side-by-side with informants. (e.g Vaclav Havel)
  • Are forced to leave the country to avoid being arrested or persecuted. (e.g Alexander Solzhenitsyn).
  • become the victim of violent attacks (Theresa Saldana and Pope John Paul II survived to tell the tale, while others, like John Lennon and Rebecca Schaeffer, did not); or
  • have resulted in dangerous incidents, killing or injuring the victim (e.g. Princess Diana- disputed-- and Viktor Yushchenko-- poisoned but survived).

For a more detailed list of stalked celebrities, please see List of stalked celebrities.

See also

External links

de:Stalking nl:Stalking

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