[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 25, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E79]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING JANUARY AS NATIONAL STALKING AWARENESS MONTH

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                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 25, 2012

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the month of 
January as National Stalking Awareness Month. This month is dedicated 
to increasing public understanding of the crime of stalking as well as 
helping to improve law enforcement's response to stalking in an attempt 
to hopefully putting an end to this terrifying crime. As a nation, we 
need to take the necessary action to prevent stalking before it occurs.
  Unlike other crimes, stalking is not a single, easily identifiable 
crime, but a series of acts directed at a single person with the 
intention to cause fear through threats, intimidation and/or 
nonconsensual or unwanted communication. Victims of stalking face 
profound consequences, such as high levels of stress, fear and anxiety.
  Stalking is a dangerous reality that affects thousands of Americans 
every year. In the United States, stalking affects 3.4 million people 
each year. Further, one in six women and one in 19 men in the United 
States have been victimized by stalking at some point in their 
lifetime.
  January offers time to focus on a crime that is vastly under-
reported. Due to threats, intimidation, fear of retribution, or lack of 
an adequate support system, a large number of victims do not report 
stalking to law enforcement. Stalking is often a precursor to more 
serious crimes and it can be dangerous if left unreported. If you or 
someone you know is the victim of stalking, I urge you to come forward 
and get the protection you need.
  As of September 1993, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had 
passed some type of anti-stalking legislation and in 1996, Congress 
passed the federal stalking law. This is great progress. Until the 
passage of anti-stalking laws, victims had few remedies and limited 
options.
  The Obama administration has taken significant strides to identify 
and prevent stalking. President Obama was the first President to 
proclaim January as National Stalking Awareness Month and his 
administration has gone to great lengths to create a strategy to combat 
violence against women. In addition, stalking is one of the four crimes 
addressed in the Violence Against Women Act and the Department of 
Justice Office of Violence Against Women is a leader in the fight to 
reduce stalking. While we are currently taking steps in the right 
direction, there is room for progress.
  I would like to take time to commend Peace over Violence and Safe at 
Home, for all the work they do to protect victims in my district. Peace 
over Violence is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing 
stalking and domestic violence in the Los Angeles area. Peace over 
Violence offers Emergency, Intervention, Prevention, Education and 
Advocacy services as well as a 24-hour hotline for victims. Safe at 
Home, California's address confidentiality program, is administered by 
the California Secretary of State's office. The program provides a free 
post office box and mail forwarding services designed to help stalking 
and other domestic violence victims. Safe at Home offers services that 
include confidentiality for children, as well as confidential name 
change, voter registration and the suppression of Department of Motor 
Vehicle records. Both Peace over Violence and Safe at Home provide 
victims of stalking with protection, relief and a sense of safety.
  Stalking is serious, unpredictable and can often escalate over time. 
To effectively respond to stalking, we must do more to promote public 
awareness about stalking and support victims of this crime. Let us work 
together to advance protection services for stalking victims and 
expanded educational services. The more people learn to recognize 
stalking, the warning signs and the dangers, the better chance we have 
to protect victims and prevent tragedies.
  Mr. Speaker, as I rise today to observe National Stalking Awareness 
Day, I encourage all Americans to come together to prevent stalking 
before it occurs and I encourage victims to get help by reporting 
harassment and stalking to the proper authorities.

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