[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 31, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 360--RAISING AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGING PREVENTION OF 
 STALKING BY DESIGNATING JANUARY 2012 AS ``NATIONAL STALKING AWARENESS 
                                MONTH''

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Isakson, 
Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Franken) submitted the following resolution; 
which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 360

       Whereas 1 in 6, or 19,200,000, women in the United States 
     have at some point during their lifetime experienced stalking 
     victimization, during which they felt very fearful or 
     believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed 
     or killed;
       Whereas, during a 1-year period, an estimated 3,400,000 
     persons in the United States reported that they had been 
     victims of stalking, and 75 percent of those victims reported 
     that they had been stalked by someone they knew;
       Whereas 11 percent of victims reported having been stalked 
     for more than 5 years, and 23 percent of victims reported 
     having been stalked almost every day;
       Whereas 1 in 4 victims reported that stalkers had used 
     email, instant messaging, blogs, bulletin boards, Internet 
     sites, chat rooms, or other forms of electronic monitoring 
     against them, and 1 in 13 victims reported that stalkers had 
     used electronic devices to monitor them;
       Whereas stalking victims are forced to take drastic 
     measures to protect themselves, including changing identity, 
     relocating, changing jobs, and obtaining protection orders;
       Whereas 1 in 7 victims reported having relocated in an 
     effort to escape a stalker;
       Whereas approximately 1 in 8 employed victims of stalking 
     missed work because they feared for their safety or were 
     taking steps to protect themselves, such as by seeking a 
     restraining order;
       Whereas less than 50 percent of victims reported stalking 
     to police, and only 7 percent of victims contacted a victim 
     service provider, shelter, or hotline;
       Whereas stalking is a crime under Federal law and under the 
     laws of all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 
     territories of the United States;
       Whereas stalking affects victims of every race, age, 
     culture, gender, sexual orientation, physical and mental 
     ability, and economic status;
       Whereas national organizations, local victim service 
     organizations, campuses, prosecutor's offices, and police 
     departments stand ready to assist stalking victims and are 
     working diligently to develop effective and innovative 
     responses to stalking;
       Whereas there is a need to improve the response of the 
     criminal justice system to stalking through more aggressive 
     investigation and prosecution;
       Whereas there is a need for increased availability of 
     victim services across the United States, and such services 
     must include programs tailored to meet the needs of stalking 
     victims;
       Whereas persons aged 18 to 24 experience the highest rates 
     of stalking victimization, and rates of stalking among 
     college students exceed the prevalence rates found in the 
     general population;
       Whereas as many as 75 percent of women in college who 
     experience stalking-related behavior experience other forms 
     of victimization, including sexual or physical victimization, 
     or both;
       Whereas there is a need for effective responses to stalking 
     on campuses; and
       Whereas the Senate finds that ``National Stalking Awareness 
     Month'' provides an opportunity to educate the people of the 
     United States about stalking: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates January 2012 as ``National Stalking 
     Awareness Month'';
       (2) applauds the efforts of the many stalking victim 
     service providers, police, prosecutors, national and 
     community organizations, campuses, and private sector 
     supporters to promote awareness of stalking;
       (3) encourages policymakers, criminal justice officials, 
     victim service and human service agencies, college campuses 
     and universities, and nonprofit organizations to increase 
     awareness of stalking and the availability of services for 
     stalking victims; and
       (4) urges national and community organizations, businesses 
     in the private sector, and the media to promote awareness of 
     the crime of stalking through ``National Stalking Awareness 
     Month''.

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