- Katy Proctor, Lecturer
Stalking in Scotland
The impact of being victimised by a stalker can be devastating and life changing. Despite the fact that the majority of stalking behaviours do not involved any physical violence or contact (e.g. text messages, phone calls, leaving or moving items to make their presence felt) the unpredictability of a stalker can leave people, understandably, in fear for their safety (and maybe even their lives) 24 hours a day.
April this year marked the 4th Annual National Stalking Awareness Day 2016. However, despite the heightened profile of stalking since the implementation of a stalking law in Scotland in 2010, the prevalence and impact of stalking is still often underestimated. Research often presents different findings as varying measures and definitions are often used between studies. For example, The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2014/15 on Sexual Victimisation and Stalking found that 6.4% of adults experienced what they describe as ‘at least one type of stalking’ in the last 12 months. However, research conducted by Morris et al (2002) on Stalking and Harassment in Scotland, found that in their lifetimes, 17% of Scottish women and 7% of Scottish men will experience stalking. It is likely that even the figures put forward by Morris et al (2002) represent only a proportion of all stalking victimisations. As a consequence many people who are victimised by a stalker can find themselves ignored and left to cope alone.
To add a little more context to the numbers of people who may be experiencing stalking it is worth considering the following. Women’s Aid Centres in Scotland were supporting 809 women and 319 children on their Census Day in 2013 and 859 women and 400 children on their Census Day in 2014 (Scottish Women’s Aid Annual Report 2013/14). In terms of stalking victimisation this is significant because it is logical to argue that any individual approaching Women’s Aid for help is at risk of or is currently being stalked by their partner or ex-partner – otherwise they wouldn’t need discreet support with the possibility of moving to a secret location. We know that there are many other women and children who do not approach support services and we also know that people are not just stalked by someone with whom they have had an intimate relationship. Stalkers can take the form of neighbours, family members, work colleagues and clients as well as acquaintances of one form or another and of course men can also be victimised by stalkers.
Individuals can find themselves altering their lives significantly in an attempt to escape the attention of their stalker, minimising their social engagements and ‘out of hours’ work commitments, disengaging from friends and family or their studies. Everyday activities such as taking out bins or walking dogs can become fraught with anxiety and fear but the lack of any visible or physical evidence can leave people disbelieved, unsupported and silenced. This is why we need events like Stalking Awareness Day and organisations like Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre to highlight the abuse that many Scots endure on a day to day basis through absolutely no fault of their own.
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Katy Proctor worked within the violence against women sector for ten years supporting women, young people and children who have suffered domestic abuse and sexual assault. Her last role, before returning to University, was developing and piloting a support service for ethnic minority women and children experiencing gender based violence. She has sat on the boards of Stirling Women’s Aid and Dignity Alert and Research Forum (D.A.R.F.) and Action Scotland Against Stalking (A.S.A.S.). Katy completed her Masters of Research (Criminology) with Distinction at Glasgow Caledonian University in 2012. She is now writing up her PhD (at Glasgow Caledonian University), researching the victim impact of stalking in Scotland.
For further information about stalking please see Rape Crisis Scotland's information leaflet on stalking, which looks at the nature of stalking, as well as its potential impact. It also gives details of the current Scottish legislation on stalking and outlines how this can help you if you are being stalked. Also covered is how to gather evidence, and safety considerations.
For fuller guidance on digital stalking and improving your cyber safety see www.womensaid.org.uk
For more information about stalking see also:
