Stalking: Another Arm of Domestic Abuse

7.5 million people are stalked in one year in the U.S.

• An estimated 15% of women and 6% of men have been a victim of stalking during their lifetimes

• 61% of female victims and 44% of male victims were stalked by a current or former intimate partner

• 25% of female victims and 32% of male victims are stalked by an acquaintance

People react in all sorts of ways to stalking, from minimizing it to experiencing much fear and stress. Being stalked can take a big toll on someone. It can lead a person to feel a loss of control over their life and a loss of their autonomy and privacy. Many people experience high anxiety, distress or fear, hypervigilance, or worry that it’s never going to end or that no one else takes it seriously. It can lead to health concerns, difficulty concentrating, time lost at work, and can create financial troubles.

In A BLIND EYE, Babe does not see Matthew’s behaviors as stalking. Part of the reason for this is that he is unaware of many of the acts committed by Matthew. Another reason is that he just doesn’t want to see it. His lifelong avoidance/hesitance when it comes to interacting with police is another factor that leads to his slow realization about the potentially harmful outcome of Matthew’s behavior.

Chance, who is younger, and who is an outsider looking in at someone he looks up to, sees Matthew’s behavior as glamourous. For him, it lends an air of the exotic to Babe’s persona, and to the life he lives.

For more information go to :
http://www.stalkingprotectionorder.org/am-i-being-stalked.html