``Oh, yeah...and stalking.`` It's time we paid more attention.
Stalking is one of the four crimes acknowledged in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). It’s often the one tacked on at the end, the one with fewest stand-alone resources for survivors, and the one providers and advocates are least trained in responding to. It’s time to change that.
The Stalking Prevention and Awareness Resource Center (SPARC) is the leader in the field when it comes to catching advocates up-to-speed with many practical resources and trainings regarding stalking. We took a look through their amazing material and created a compilation of just a few of their stand-out resources and trainings from this past year that provide critical information and address some of the over-lap between stalking and other victimizations that we may be more familiar with.
Let’s not let our attention to stalking wane after January ends. Increase your knowledge about stalking and supporting these survivors now and check out SPARC’s website throughout the year for many more helpful resources you can use with survivors!
And please, as always, don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re still looking for something!
Context is Key: Recognizing and Responding to Stalking
July 2022
Webinar from the Stalking Prevention and Awareness Resource Center (SPARC)
This webinar provides an excellent overview of stalking from definitions and statistics to co-occurring victimizations and real-life examples to make it more tangible. The presenter also gives tips for advocates on what to watch for in terms of stalking behaviors and how survivors may talk about their experiences, how to ask about stalking-specific behaviors, and how and when to use many of the amazing resources offered by SPARC when working with survivors.
U.S. Stalking Laws and Statutes
January 2022
Resource from the Stalking Prevention and Awareness Resource Center (SPARC)
This interactive map allows advocates and others to quickly find relevant statutes related to stalking in their area. It includes state and federal statutes, a link for finding statutes for Native Nations, and includes statutes in U.S. territories.
Stalking and Sexual Violence: Understanding the Intersections
April 2022
Webinar from Stalking Prevention Awareness and Resource Center (SPARC)
This webinar dives deeper into the co-occurrence between stalking and sexual violence by talking about the similarities in the crimes, including the myth of the stranger offender, how victim blaming impacts survivors of both, how both crimes are under reported, and more. This training also discusses how certain stalking behaviors can include sexual victimization, how part of stalking can include grooming for sexual victimization, and practical strategies for how DV/SA advocates can implement screenings and supports for survivors of stalking in their current practice.
Identifying Stalking: SLII Strategies
April 2022
Resource from Stalking Prevention Awareness and Resource Center (SPARC)
Many victims don’t identify their experience as one of being stalked. It’s helpful to ask questions about specific behaviors they may be experiencing in four broad categories: Surveillance, Life invasion, Intimidation, Interference. This resource offers many examples of questions that someone can ask to identify whether someone else is experiencing stalking behaviors in each of these categories. It also offers language for asking if a victim is afraid, which is important to know to assess risk, legal options, and safety planning.
Stalking on College Campuses
July 2022
Webinar from Stalking Prevention Awareness and Resource Center (SPARC)
Is it stalking, or is it stalking? How do we identify and address it on college campuses? This webinar talks about how stalking is prevalent on college campuses and the unique considerations and challenges that being on a college campus deems necessary. The presenter gives useful advice for how campus administration and staff can implement stalking awareness campaigns into their current campaigns. SPARC also offers materials and guides for campus training facilitators around raising awareness of stalking on college campuses.
On Stalking
March 2022
Podcast from Branches Domestic Violence Shelter
In an interview with the SPARC training coordinator, Branches presenter talks about how stalking can sometimes be overlooked or conflated with other types of crime. The minimization and casual use of the word can influence how survivors, providers, and the community view stalking. They also talk about the subjectivity of the word “fear” in the working definition of stalking and how it can be difficult to prove.