Title: Stalking Awareness Month

Summary: Designating January 2014 as "Stalking Awareness Month" in the State of Florida, etc.

Full Text:
WHEREAS, one in six women and one in nineteen men in the United States have experienced stalking victimization during their lifetimes, and WHEREAS, the majority of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know, and percent of female victims and percent of male victims are stalked by a current or former intimate partner, and WHEREAS, percent of victims reported being stalked for years or more, and percent of victims are stalked at least once per week, and WHEREAS, percent of women who are killed by an intimate partner experienced stalking, and WHEREAS, one in seven stalking victims changes residence as a result of his or her victimization, and WHEREAS, one in eight employed victims of stalking misses work because of his or her victimization, and more than half miss five days of work or more, and WHEREAS, according to a National Violence Against Women survey, slightly more than half of female stalking victims reported the stalking to police, and WHEREAS, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement s 2011 Annual Uniform Crime Report reflected a 65.1 percent increase in simple stalking in the state, and WHEREAS, stalking is a known precursor to domestic and dating violence homicide, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement s 2012 Semi-Annual Uniform Crime Report reflected a percent increase in domestic violence homicides in the state, and WHEREAS, January has been designated  National Stalking Awareness Month  in the United States, NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: That January 2014 is designated as  Stalking Awareness Month  in the State of Florida, providing an opportunity to educate the public about the dangers of stalking behavior and to raise awareness about protection laws and the resources available to stalking victims.