Stalking: Know it. Name it. Stop it.

Woman being stalked by a man in black with sunglasses

January is National Stalking Awareness Month. Learn how you can help prevent stalking in your community.

Stalking occurs when someone repeatedly harasses or threatens someone else, causing fear or safety concerns. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), about 1 in 6 women and 1 in 17 men have experienced stalking in their lifetimes.

These behaviors can come in the form of threatening phone calls, text messages, spying, or showing up at the victim’s home or workplace, and leaving unwanted gifts or cards. Most often, stalking occurs by someone they know or with whom they had an intimate relationship.

Join CDC in Preventing Stalking

Stalking: Patter of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or conduct directed at someone who would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.

To prevent stalking, CDC promotes the importance of early prevention and support efforts, which can include:

Empowering everyone to understand, recognize, and address stalking.
Mobilizing men and boys as allies in prevention efforts.
Creating and supporting safe environments within relationships, schools, and communities through programs and policies that reduce risk and promote healthy relationships.

More strategies and approaches that may be relevant for stalking prevention can be found in CDC’s Technical Packages for Sexual Violence[2.85 MB] and Intimate Partner Violence.[4.52 MB]