Starfishgirl Anti-Stalking Campaign

Recent Similar Articles

organized stalking:

New Comic Strip Series re Organized Stalking

New "Tech Talk" E-Booklet Available

by Shawnna Armstrong | 03.30.2010

Authorities compare the experience of staking to torture. Stalkers terrorize victims as a means of gaining control. Stalkers intend to make victims feel depressed, isolated, fearful, devoid of self esteem, and ultimately, completely unable to function. Stalkers will follow victims in relentless pursuit, they will vandalize property, hack into computers, tap telephones, kill pets, and finally, should the above acts of terror fail to render the victim compliant, stalkers will murder.

"As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air -- however slight -- lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." ~ Justice William O. Douglas  

We are living in that twilight today. Stalking, whether perpetrated by an individual or by a group, is a direct attack on the very core of our being. If you are being stalked, your basic rights promised by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are being violated. In essence, you are experiencing terrorism which was devised to rob you of your ability to earn a living, of your reputation, your ability to feed, clothe, and house yourself, your dignity, your self esteem, and eventually your life.

Gavin De Becker, a highly regarded national security and crime expert estimates that before our next breakfast, at least twelve women will be murdered by estranged intimate partners. The startling reality is that 76% of the victims who will be killed have been stalked for at least one year prior to their murders. Experts also estimate that one out of every twelve women in the United States will be stalked within her lifetime.

These relentless attacks have the effect of destroying the victim's trust in her own judgment along with the benevolence of her environment. Because these crimes are well calculated, yet subtle forms control, many victims have difficultly gathering the evidence needed to prove that they are under assault.

This is especially true of serial and vigilante gang stalking victims whose perpetrators have learned how to “fly under the radar” of obvious and easily proven harassment. Many victims are unaware that they are under attack until they begin to notice friendships, relationships, and jobs fall apart for reasons the victim is unable to comprehend. At this point, the stalker has created a helpless victim whom he can manipulate at will. His way is cleared because of society's lack of or inattention to information, and it's propensity to deny the truth in the face of such horrific actions.

It is at this point that the victim can be easily and freely tortured with very little consequence to the stalker. These assaults can last many years or even the course of a victim’s lifetime. Many times stalkers will murder their victims; however, often enough the stalker has been so successful in his campaign to destabilize the victim through reigns of terror that the victim will commit suicide, develop a stress related illness, or be institutionalized.

This reality points to the contributory causes of lack of training and coordination in the law enforcement, legal, and mental health professions. Only when these developments have taken place can victims be properly cared for and stalkers be held responsible for their behavior.

Unfortunately there are very few resources available to assist victims in reclaiming their mental, physical and financial health.

The United States Department of Justice estimates that out of all of the grant monies given to battered women’s shelters, rape crisis centers, and victim’s advocacy groups only seven percent of these funds are being used to assist stalking victims.

Most mental health professionals are completely unaware of the appropriate methods for assisting a stalking victim in healing from her trauma. Also, because the trauma is often times ongoing, healing is not always possible.

Changes in our legal system that would prevent victims from being re-victimized in the courts and by unintelligent police departments are also desperately needed. Unfortunately law enforcement is sadly lacking the training, ambition and incentive to protect stalking victims. In fact, more often than not, law enforcement is a part of the problem rather than a part of the solution.

Starfishgirl will work hold police departments accountable to the concerns of stalking victims. We will also work for changes in state and federal laws which would impose strong and harsh punishments on stalkers, as well as fight for the resources and the wherewithal to enforce these laws.

Finally, a massive educational campaign must take place in the United States and abroad. We at Starfishgirl believe that once the general population is made aware, the public outcry will be enormous. This is what is ultimately needed to mobilize our elected officials to look at the issue of stalking directly, fearlessly, and pro-actively.

With your help, we can put an end to the terror, anxiety, and shattering grief experienced by the millions of people in this country who are being stalked. And with your help, we can empower victims as they embark on the journey of re-claiming their right to pursue peaceful, joyful, productive lives.

"First they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me." ~Rev. Martin Niemöller