Stalking conference takes place as victims say they weren't adequately supported
Only 15% of victims received support from a trained specialist
As 77% of stalking victims say they were not supported by an Independent Stalking Advocate, a leading personal safety charity has organised a stalking conference today.
Taking place today (April 27th), the theme of the conference being run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust is 'Bridging the Gap', hoping to better connect the criminal justice system with victims.
A report by the Trust ahead of the conference found that over three quarters (77%) of those who had been stalked were not given specialist support in the form of an Independent Stalking Advocate.
The report also shows, that of those who did report their concerns to police, only 15% of victims were referred by the police to an Independent Stalking Advocate who could help to validate the experiences they went through.
Currently, figures in England and Wales have shown that one in 50 cases of stalking are reported, with only one in 1,000 stalkers actually being convicted.
Stalking awareness conference
In order to raise the seriousness of stalking throughout England and Wales, the Trust has organised the conference in order to ensure authorities can deal with cases in a prompt manner, whilst offering sufficient support to victims.
A host of guests are set to take to the virtual stage at the conference, including Jess Philips, MP for Birmingham Yardley as well as the Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding.
In addition to this, an anonymous victim of stalking is also due to tell their story, so that groups can understand the reason why reform should be put in place.
Speaking on the findings of the report, Suky Bhaker, CEO of Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said that more needs to be done to protect victims of an otherwise invisible crime.
"We know that stalking victims greatly benefit from the support offered by specialist advocates. Yet those responsible for handling victims’ reports are not referring them to stalking services," she said.
"There is a huge gap between victims and support services, and it is simply unacceptable. Police and frontline services must signpost victims to specialist services if we are to truly bridge this gap.
She added: “We are also calling for dedicated specialist funding for Independent Stalking Advocates that is separate from domestic violence funding and enables advocacy support for all victims of stalking. Half of all stalking victims are not ex-intimates and therefore would not be eligible for domestic abuse support.
"It is evident that stalking advocates provide life-changing services to victims. There is no doubt that every victim should have the right to a stalking advocate.”