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January is Stalking Awareness Month

Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2017

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The DC Victim Hotline is participating in National Stalking Awareness Month this January!

In honor of National Stalking Awareness month, we have decided to profile the Stalking Resource Center (SRC), a program of the National Center for Victims of Crime, as our featured partner this month. The SRC, founded in 2000, provides training and technical assistance to victim service providers around the country. They have worked closely with grantees from the Office on Violence Against Women, criminal and civil justice system practitioners, community based agencies, and media representatives. Additionally, the SRC has provided training for over 100,000 professionals, including SANE nurses, campus officials, and police forces. Elaina Roberts, the SRC’s legal director, oversees day to day functions that include developing program materials for trainings and updating existing resources.

Stalking is a crime under the laws of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories, and the federal government. However, no single legal definition exists. This makes it important for advocates and other professionals who work with victims to understand the laws in their state. While legal definitions of stalking vary from one jurisdiction to another, a good working definition of stalking is: a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. While the SRC does not offer direct services to victims, the DC Victim Hotline victim assistance specialists have been trained by the SRC to respond to and support victims of stalking.

The SRC is hosting a Twitter town hall that will take place on January 12th @ 2PM EST. Individuals and community members are invited to engage with SRC staff and partners in a conversation about the complicated dynamics of stalking, up-to-date information on resources and materials, and how communities can support victims of stalking. You can follow the SRC Twitter page (@SRC_NCVC) to get the latest updates and join the conversation!

The SRC also has a Facebook ribbon filter available for the entire month of January that focuses on promoting stalking awareness. Facebook users can overlay the filter on their profile picture by following the this link. We also highly suggest that you take a look at their online quiz to test your knowledge on stalking and learn more along the way! If you wish to request a training or more information, please visit the SRC’s training website and click on Request Training to fill out a form.

Want to learn more?

On the SRC’s State Information page, you can learn more about the resources, laws, and programs in your state that support victims of stalking.

Other important resources provided by SRC: