Calls for Suffolk children to be taught about stalking to help combat the issue
A recent report found only 15% of victims received specialist help after being the victims of stalking
Last updated 28th Apr 2022
A Suffolk charity says teaching kids about stalking in schools at a young age could help tackle the issue.
It comes as a recent report has found 77% of stalking victims were not supported by an Independent Stalking Advocate.
A leading personal safety charity held a stalking conference yesterday looking at ways to tackle the issue.
The theme of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust conference was 'Bridging the Gap', hoping to better connect the criminal justice system with victims.
Their report also found out 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.
We spoke to Family Support Manager Alison Grant from Suffolk Charity Home Start about the consequences of stalking and the support available locally.
"It makes people feel very, very scared in what should be a safe place" she said.
"I think we can deal with lots of things out in the community, but our homes need to be a safe place for us and particularly when children are involved.
"(There are) parents that we work with who are vulnerable for many, many reasons and need to be prioritizing the safety of their children. That's what's key.
"And that's with any family that's involved with any statutory process working under a social care kind of remit. It's very, very clearly told that the safety of their children is paramount.
"So if you can't be safe in your own home because you're being approached or constantly, contacted by somebody, whether that's on forms of social media, the the telephone, somebody coming constantly to your your premises that can be very scary and totally (have an) impact on mental health and well being.
"(it can) make you feel unsafe (and not) go out and access those services that you should be with regards to your own health and wellbeing.
"We've had parents over the years who have excluded their children from school because they haven't felt safe to doing things like the school run, going to doctor's appointments and other things in the community that they should be able to do.
"I don't think that any of us can really imagine or put ourselves into that situation of feeling so unsafe
"And you can fully understand why people kind of withdraw into themselves and become very isolated and lonely and don't reach out to people because they they become very paranoid about what people's agendas are,.
"Is there another way... is somebody really trying to help me or have they gotten agenda or have they got a connection (to the abuser)."
Home Start In Suffolk
Home Start In Suffolk
What should someone do if they feel they are being stalked?
We asked Alison about some of the support available in Suffolk for victims of stalking:
"I would say contact the police straight away and any other organizations that are in their community.
"In Ipswich in particular we've got organisations such as leeway. We've got lighthouse that support women but call out for help.
"Don't try and manage it yourself. And I would say one of the things that we always recommend to families that we're supporting women, men and men because men have the situation as well. It's not just women, is to record a diary and a little notebook.
"Start to record events when they happen and the the date and the time of the day so that you can start to build up that picture because when you're put in that situation of being asked.
"When it happened and you're upset and very obviously emotionally charged, then you forget how often this has been happening or you make light of it.
"But actually when you've got that evidence there to present, to say look, this is what it is and this is how often it's been happening, then you've got that in front of you and that can give you some confidence,
"I would also say, always make sure you've got somebody with you when you're doing that.
"If you've got that support network, hopefully you've got somebody that you could take with you to really support you to be there.
"They can't speak on your behalf. They can't tell whoever it is that you're you're trying to pass that information on. What exactly has gone on, but they're there to support you in the background.
"Definitely reach out for help."
What more can be done in Suffolk?
Alison told us schools need to consider talking about the issue to young children:
"More conversations to have it out there, I think it's really important for our young people in, in education to have this as something that they're they're talking about" she said.
"Appropriate behaviour, relationships, those kind of issues it needs to come from a young age not just when people become adults.
"Because children that are living in those families and and you know relationships they witness things and that they can sometimes think as being norm.
"When they aren't normal patterns of behaviour, and because that's what goes on in, in their houses. And as we've already said, you know, a house is somewhere that's safe.
"So if children see that on a regular basis, then they start to think that that's that's normal behaviour.
"So I think it's a it's a conversation that really, really needs to be had from a very young age about behaviour."
If you or someone who know is facing difficulty, Home Start helps families in all kinds of situations, including financial, domestic abuse and more.
More information can be found on their website here