“Life is never going to be the same for victims of stalking”, says local charity
600,000 people fell victim to cyber-stalking in just one year, according to ONS statistics
A local charity working across the Thames Valley region is urging victims of stalking to contact the police and record of everything that happens, as they highlight the impact on victims.
Hannah Jones from Aura New Dawn, an organisation who have provided support to more than 700 people across our region, says many people don't realise they can report it.
“Stalking is two or more incidents. That could be two or more phone calls, two or more texts, it could be a mixture of different things and could even be leaving gifts.
“There's lots of things that can be classed as behaviours of stalking that aren't criminal on their own.”
She added: “Life is never going to be the same for victims of stalking. That is always going to be something that you've experienced and it's always going to be something that's constantly in the back of your mind, whether that be paranoia or hyper vigilance - but with the right support and the right people around you, you will get through it and it does get easier. It will just take a bit of time.”
Stalking awareness week runs from 21st to 25th April 2025.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), out of approximately 1.5 million stalking victims in the year ending March 2024, an estimated 635,000 (42%) reported that the stalking had involved online methods, like using electronic communications to threaten or harass.
Cyber-stalking or "digital stalking" can take the form of fake profiles on social media, stalking over the phone such as persistent phone calls, texts, or even hacking people's personal devices.
423,000 (28%) of victims in the year ending March 2024, were victims of domestic stalking, with 314,000 (21%) being stalked by a partner or ex-partner, and 141,000 (9%) being stalked by a family member.
Advice
Hannah emphasises the signs to look out for: "We use the FOUR acronym - fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated."
“My first advice would be to report to the police, then I would also suggest to keep a diary or a record of everything that happens. So, it could be what happened, the day, the time, the location, but it’s also really important to record how it's made you person feel.
“I would also recommend changing routes and routines so that person can't follow you or can't assume where you're going to be. Then, most importantly is support network, making sure that you're speaking to the people around you, reaching out to local services”, she added.
You can contact Aura New Dawn on their website here.