III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 360 

Raising awareness and encouraging prevention of stalking by designating 

January 2012 as ‘‘National Stalking Awareness Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 31, 2012 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. ISAKSON, 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. FRANKEN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Raising awareness and encouraging prevention of stalking 

by designating January 2012 as ‘‘National Stalking 

Awareness Month’’. 

Whereas 1 in 6, or 19,200,000, women in the United States 

have at some point during their lifetime experienced 

stalking victimization, during which they felt very fearful 

or believed that they or someone close to them would be 

harmed or killed; 

Whereas, during a 1-year period, an estimated 3,400,000 persons in the United States reported that they had been 

victims of stalking, and 75 percent of those victims reported that they had been stalked by someone they knew; 


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•SRES 360 ATS 

Whereas 11 percent of victims reported having been stalked 

for more than 5 years, and 23 percent of victims reported 

having been stalked almost every day; 

Whereas 1 in 4 victims reported that stalkers had used email, 

instant messaging, blogs, bulletin boards, Internet sites, 

chat rooms, or other forms of electronic monitoring 

against them, and 1 in 13 victims reported that stalkers 

had used electronic devices to monitor them; 

Whereas stalking victims are forced to take drastic measures 

to protect themselves, including changing identity, relocating, changing jobs, and obtaining protection orders; 

Whereas 1 in 7 victims reported having relocated in an effort 

to escape a stalker; 

Whereas approximately 1 in 8 employed victims of stalking 

missed work because they feared for their safety or were 

taking steps to protect themselves, such as by seeking a 

restraining order; 

Whereas less than 50 percent of victims reported stalking to 

police, and only 7 percent of victims contacted a victim 

service provider, shelter, or hotline; 

Whereas stalking is a crime under Federal law and under the 

laws of all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 

territories of the United States; 

Whereas stalking affects victims of every race, age, culture, 

gender, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, 

and economic status; 

Whereas national organizations, local victim service organizations, campuses, prosecutor’s offices, and police departments stand ready to assist stalking victims and are 

working diligently to develop effective and innovative responses to stalking; 


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Whereas there is a need to improve the response of the criminal justice system to stalking through more aggressive investigation and prosecution; 

Whereas there is a need for increased availability of victim 

services across the United States, and such services must 

include programs tailored to meet the needs of stalking 

victims; 

Whereas persons aged 18 to 24 experience the highest rates 

of stalking victimization, and rates of stalking among college students exceed the prevalence rates found in the 

general population; 

Whereas as many as 75 percent of women in college who experience stalking-related behavior experience other forms 

of victimization, including sexual or physical victimization, or both; 

Whereas there is a need for effective responses to stalking on 

campuses; and 

Whereas the Senate finds that ‘‘National Stalking Awareness 

Month’’ provides an opportunity to educate the people of 

the United States about stalking: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates January 2012 as ‘‘National 

3 Stalking Awareness Month’’; 

4 (2) applauds the efforts of the many stalking 

5 victim service providers, police, prosecutors, national 

6 and community organizations, campuses, and private 

7 sector supporters to promote awareness of stalking; 

8 (3) encourages policymakers, criminal justice 

9 officials, victim service and human service agencies, 


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1 college campuses and universities, and nonprofit or2 ganizations to increase awareness of stalking and 

3 the availability of services for stalking victims; and 

4 (4) urges national and community organiza5 tions, businesses in the private sector, and the media 

6 to promote awareness of the crime of stalking 

7 through ‘‘National Stalking Awareness Month’’. 

Æ 


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