[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 873-874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-00169]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 4 / Thursday, January 6, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 873]]


                Proclamation 10333 of December 30, 2021

                
National Stalking Awareness Month, 2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                All people deserve to feel safe and protected--whether 
                in their home, at work or school, online, or in any 
                other public or private spaces. During National 
                Stalking Awareness Month, we support all those who are 
                threatened and harmed by the pervasive crime of 
                stalking, recognize those who raise awareness and 
                advocate for survivors, and recommit to eradicating 
                stalking nationwide.

                Stalkers employ multiple tactics to instill fear, 
                intimidate, surveil, and exert control over the people 
                they target. Studies show that 1 in 6 women and 1 in 17 
                men have been subjected to stalking in their lifetime, 
                the majority of whom were threatened by someone they 
                know--often a current or former intimate partner. 
                Survivors often suffer physical, psychological, and 
                social harms, such as higher than average rates of 
                depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Stalking also can 
                take a serious economic toll, as those who are stalked 
                may have to uproot their lives at their own expense to 
                evade their stalkers, or take unpaid time off from work 
                in order to protect themselves and their families.

                In recent years, the most prevalent form of stalking 
                crimes has involved the use of smartphones, computers, 
                and other devices. With schools, workplaces, and social 
                interactions relying on virtual platforms, the risk of 
                stalking has grown considerably. As technology 
                continues to advance, we must ensure that all people--
                especially women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals who 
                are at greatest risk--can engage in online spaces 
                freely and safely. We must also seek accountability for 
                individuals or systems that perpetrate or enable 
                stalking.

                Given the disproportionate impact of stalking and other 
                forms of digital abuse on women and girls, my 
                Administration's National Strategy on Gender Equity and 
                Equality includes a commitment to launch a task force 
                to address online harassment and abuse. This task force 
                will be specifically focused on technology-facilitated, 
                gender-based violence and will be charged with 
                developing concrete recommendations to improve 
                prevention, response, and protection efforts 
                domestically and worldwide.

                The task force will seek input from survivors, 
                advocates, law enforcement professionals, civil and 
                human rights groups, technology platforms, and other 
                experts to ensure that those with expertise and lived 
                experiences are able to directly inform these 
                recommendations. My Administration has also committed 
                to developing the first-ever National Action Plan to 
                End Gender-Based Violence, which will further our 
                efforts to prevent and respond to stalking and other 
                forms of gender-based violence.

                This effort has been one of the central causes of my 
                career. To address these abuses of power--stalking, 
                domestic violence, dating violence, and sexual 
                assault--I wrote and championed the Violence Against 
                Women Act nearly three decades ago to begin to change 
                our culture and ensure that survivors of these 
                appalling crimes receive the services and support they 
                need. Through the years, I have worked to reauthorize 
                the Act several times--each time expanding its 
                protections. Now, I am calling on the Congress to once 
                again reauthorize and modernize this landmark 
                legislation

[[Page 874]]

                with enhanced provisions to expand the way our country 
                responds to and prevents stalking and other forms of 
                gender-based violence.

                Stalking operates in the shadows and is fueled by 
                silence and inaction. As we begin this new year, let us 
                commit to shining a brighter light on this insidious 
                crime, to broadening our support for those affected, 
                and to ensuring that all people can live in a world 
                free from violence and fear.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2022 
                as National Stalking Awareness Month. I call on all 
                Americans to speak out against stalking and to support 
                the efforts of advocates, courts, service providers, 
                and law enforcement to help those who are targeted and 
                send the message to perpetrators that this crime will 
                not go unpunished.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2022-00169
Filed 1-5-22; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P