My abused has been criticizing me and my family and my friends for a very long time. I am a victim of domestic violence of a extremely terrified, lots of verbally abused. Questions or concerns about the preceding article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment below. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by. The preceding article was solely written by the author named above. USDOJ: Office on Violence Against Women: Crimes of Focus: Stalking. Stalking: New studies shed light on a crime that terrorizes its victims.
For example, an abusive ex-husband might say he stalks his ex-wife to ensure she’s properly caring for their children. Stalkers often emphasize that they “love” their victims and occasionally say they stalk to keep others safe. Repeated contacts rise to the level of stalking when they’re designed to gain power over a person and cause emotional terror. A coworker who comes back to see a person at his or her office daily, for example, would not be stalking, and a secret admirer who sends flowers once per week is not necessarily a stalker. Laws generally require multiple unwanted contacts and mandate that a victim fear for his or her safety. Stalkers may alternate between patterns of domestic violence and stalking.Įach state establishes its own legal criteria for stalking. In its more extreme manifestations, however, stalking might involve repeatedly going to a person’s house, making threats against a person, harming pets, stealing possessions, or interfering with a person’s relationships with friends, family, or coworkers. On the lower end, it might involve repeated phone calls, letters, or email contacts.