[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 10 (Thursday, January 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S187-S188]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 528--RAISING AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGING THE PREVENTION 
    OF STALKING BY DESIGNATING JANUARY 2024 AS ``NATIONAL STALKING 
                           AWARENESS MONTH''

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Hirono,

[[Page S188]]

and Ms. Butler) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 528

       Whereas approximately 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men in the 
     United States, at some point during their lifetimes, have 
     experienced stalking victimization, causing them to feel 
     fearful, threatened, or concerned for their own safety or the 
     safety of others;
       Whereas it is estimated that, each year, more than 
     13,400,000 individuals in the United States report that they 
     have been victims of stalking;
       Whereas more than 85 percent of victims of stalking report 
     that they have been stalked by someone they know;
       Whereas nearly 70 percent of intimate partner stalking 
     victims are threatened with physical harm by stalkers;
       Whereas stalking is a risk factor for intimate partner 
     homicide;
       Whereas 3 in 4 female victims of intimate partner homicides 
     were stalked during the year preceding the homicide by their 
     killers;
       Whereas 11 percent of victims of stalking report having 
     been stalked for 5 or more years;
       Whereas two-thirds of stalkers pursue their victims at 
     least once a week;
       Whereas many victims of stalking are forced to take drastic 
     measures to protect themselves, including 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, the laws of 
     all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories 
     of the United States, and the Uniform Code of Military 
     Justice;
       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 victims of stalking and are 
     working diligently to develop effective and innovative 
     responses to stalking, including online 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 those 
     services must include programs tailored to meet the needs of 
     victims of stalking;
       Whereas individuals between 18 and 24 years old experience 
     the highest rates of stalking victimization, and a majority 
     of stalking victims report their victimization first occurred 
     before the age of 25;
       Whereas among undergraduate college students who experience 
     intimate partner stalking, 40 percent also experience 
     coercive control and 11 percent experience physical assault 
     from the same partner;
       Whereas 32 percent of undergraduate college students who 
     experience stalking are also sexually assaulted;
       Whereas college students with disabilities are twice as 
     likely as college students without disabilities to experience 
     stalking;
       Whereas there is a need for an effective response to 
     stalking on each campus;
       Whereas 80 percent of stalking victims report being stalked 
     with technology, such as phone calls, text messages, social 
     media platforms, internet posts, emails, and electronic 
     tracking;
       Whereas victims of technology-facilitated stalking often 
     report as much fear as victims who experience in-person 
     stalking, and are just as concerned for their safety;
       Whereas January 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the 
     first ``National Stalking Awareness Month''; 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 2024 as ``National Stalking 
     Awareness Month'';
       (2) applauds the efforts of service providers, police 
     departments, prosecutor's offices, national and community 
     organizations, colleges and universities, and private sector 
     entities that combat stalking, support victims, and bring 
     awareness to this crime;
       (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 continue to support 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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