Presidential Documents

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


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

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. 

[FR Doc. 2022–00169 

Filed 1–5–22; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3395–F2–P 


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