[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 19 (Tuesday, February 2, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S488-S489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 353--RAISING AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGING THE PREVENTION 
    OF STALKING BY DESIGNATING JANUARY 2016, AS ``NATIONAL STALKING 
                           AWARENESS MONTH''

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mr. Perdue) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 353

       Whereas 15 percent of women in the United States, at some 
     point during their lifetimes, have experienced stalking 
     victimization, during which the women 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 7,500,000 
     individuals in the United States reported that they had been 
     victims of stalking, and 75 percent of those individuals 
     reported that they had been stalked by someone they knew;
       Whereas 11 percent of victims of stalking reported having 
     been stalked for more than 5 years;
       Whereas two-thirds of stalkers pursue their victims at 
     least once a week;
       Whereas victims of stalking are forced to take drastic 
     measures to protect themselves, including changing their 
     identities, relocating, changing jobs, or obtaining 
     protection orders;
       Whereas the prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social 
     dysfunction, and severe depression is much higher among 
     victims of stalking than the general population;
       Whereas many victims of stalking do not report stalking to 
     the police or contact a victim service provider, shelter, or 
     hotline;
       Whereas stalking is a crime under Federal law and 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;

[[Page S489]]

       Whereas national organizations, local victim service 
     organizations, campuses, prosecutor's offices, and police 
     departments stand ready to assist victims of stalking 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 an increase in the availability 
     of victim services across the United States, and the services 
     must include programs tailored to meet the needs of victims 
     of stalking;
       Whereas individuals 18 to 24 years old experience the 
     highest rates of stalking victimization, and rates of 
     stalking among college students exceed rates of stalking 
     among the general population;
       Whereas up to 75 percent of women in college who experience 
     behavior relating to stalking experience other forms of 
     victimization, including sexual or physical victimization;
       Whereas there is a need for an effective response to 
     stalking on each campus; 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 2016, as ``National Stalking 
     Awareness Month'';
       (2) applauds the efforts of service providers for victims 
     of stalking, 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, institutions of 
     higher education, and nonprofit organizations to increase 
     awareness of stalking and the availability of services for 
     victims of stalking; 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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