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Stalking can happen to anyone and it is more common than you might think
1 in 12 women and 1 in 45 men will be stalked in their
lifetime
1.4 million people are stalked every year
in the United States.
*source: Stalking in America: Findings from the National
Violence Against Women Survey. U.S. Dept. of Justice
Stalking is never caused by something you may have said or done. If you are being stalked, it is not your fault.
- Stalking can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnic or economic background.
- A stalker isn’t always a stranger. The stalker may be a current or former intimate partner, a friend, customer, coworker, or an acquaintance.
- 77% of female victims and 64% of male victims know their stalkers.
- Stalkers are often obsessed with their victims. A stalker may monitor a victim’s actions including her/his whereabouts, conversations with other people, and internet and email usage. The stalker’s motivation typically is to gain and maintain control over the victim. Some individuals may use stalking as a way to try to re-establish a former intimate relationship or to feel connected to a person with whom they do not and/or cannot have a relationship.
Stalking is a crime in New Hampshire
According to RSA 633:3-a it is against the law for someone to:
- Purposely, knowingly, or recklessly engage in a course of conduct targeted at a specific person which would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her personal safety or the safety of a member of that person’s immediate family, and that person is placed in fear;
- Purposely or knowingly engage in a course of conduct that the actor knows will place an individual and/or that person’s immediate family member in fear for personal safety;
- Commit a single act of conduct that both violates the provisions of a protection order, divorce decree, or bail conditions, that prohibits contact with the individual and is an act of conduct, as defined below. The person must have been served or given notice of the protective order filed against him/her.
- “Course of conduct” refers to 2 or more acts that occur over a period of time, however short, that show evidence of a pattern of behavior. This includes any of the following acts against a person or her/his immediate family member.
Acts of Conduct
- Threatening safety. Following, approaching, or confronting the targeted person.
- Appearing with no legitimate purpose at or around a place where a person can be found, including a residence, workplace, or school.
- Causing damage to property
- Placing an object on the person’s property,
either directly or through a third person
- Causing an injury to a family pet
- Acts of communication that are harassing to the individual
e.g. letters, packages, electronic transmissions, etc.
- Engaging in acts which would constitute stalking after
having been advised by a law enforcement officer that
the person’s acts were in violation of the stalking statute.
Click on these additional links for more information: If you are being stalked
Safety and Technology tips
Taking care of yourself
Confidential Services are available:
- Support and information is available in person and through a
24-hour hotline
- Accompaniment, support, and advocacy at local hospitals, courts, and police departments
- Assistance with protective orders and referrals to legal services
- Peer support groups
- Access to emergency shelter
- Information and referrals to community programs
- Community and professional outreach and education
Click here to locate your nearest crisis center
or you can call either of the statewide hotline numbers:
Domestic Violence Hotline
1-866-644-3574
Sexual Assault Hotline
1-800-277-5570
*TTY and language line service is available
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