[Page S487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 46--RAISING AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGING THE PREVENTION 
    OF STALKING BY DESIGNATING JANUARY 2025 AS ``NATIONAL STALKING 
                           AWARENESS MONTH''

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mr. Grassley) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 46

       Whereas approximately 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men in the 
     United States, at some point during their lifetimes, have 
     experienced stalking victimization, causing them to feel very 
     fearful, threatened, or concerned for their own safety or the 
     safety of others;
       Whereas it is estimated that, each year, over 13,400,000 
     individuals in the United States report that they have been 
     victims of stalking;
       Whereas more than 80 percent of victims of stalking report 
     that they have been stalked by a current or former intimate 
     partner or acquaintance;
       Whereas nearly 70 percent of female stalking victims and 80 
     percent of male stalking victims are threatened with physical 
     harm by stalkers;
       Whereas stalking is a risk factor for intimate partner 
     homicide;
       Whereas 3 in 4 female victims of intimate partner homicides 
     were stalked during the year preceding the homicide by their 
     killers;
       Whereas 11 percent of victims of stalking report having 
     been stalked for 5 or more years;
       Whereas 2 in 3 stalkers pursue their victims at least once 
     a week;
       Whereas many victims of stalking are forced to take drastic 
     measures to protect themselves, including relocating, 
     changing jobs, or obtaining protection orders;
       Whereas the prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social 
     dysfunction, and severe depression is much higher among 
     victims of stalking than the general population;
       Whereas many victims of stalking do not report stalking to 
     the police or contact a victim service provider, shelter, or 
     hotline;
       Whereas stalking is a crime under Federal law, the laws of 
     all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories 
     of the United States, and the Uniform Code of Military 
     Justice;
       Whereas stalking affects victims of every race, age, 
     culture, gender, sexual orientation, physical and mental 
     ability, and economic status;
       Whereas national organizations, local victim service 
     organizations, college and university campuses, prosecutor's 
     offices, and police departments stand ready to assist victims 
     of stalking and are working diligently to develop effective 
     and innovative responses to stalking, including online 
     stalking;
       Whereas there is a need to improve the response of the 
     criminal justice system to stalking through more aggressive 
     investigation and prosecution;
       Whereas there is a need for an increase in the availability 
     of victim services across the United States, and those 
     services must include programs tailored to meet the needs of 
     victims of stalking;
       Whereas individuals between 18 and 24 years old experience 
     the highest rates of stalking victimization, and a majority 
     of stalking victims report their victimization first occurred 
     before the age of 25;
       Whereas 43 percent of women in college who experience 
     stalking by an intimate partner also experience sexual or 
     physical assault;
       Whereas college students with disabilities are twice as 
     likely as college students without disabilities to experience 
     stalking;
       Whereas there is a need for an effective response to 
     stalking on each college and university campus;
       Whereas 80 percent of stalking victims report being stalked 
     with technology, such as phone calls, text messages, social 
     media platforms, internet posts, emails, and electronic 
     tracking;
       Whereas victims of technology-facilitated stalking often 
     report higher fear than victims who experience in-person 
     stalking, and are just as concerned for their safety;
       Whereas January 2025 marks the 21st anniversary of the 
     first ``National Stalking Awareness Month''; and
       Whereas the Senate finds that ``National Stalking Awareness 
     Month'' provides an opportunity to educate the people of the 
     United States about stalking: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates January 2025 as ``National Stalking 
     Awareness Month'';
       (2) applauds the efforts of service providers, police 
     departments, prosecutor's offices, national and community 
     organizations, colleges and universities, and private sector 
     entities that combat stalking, support victims, and bring 
     awareness to this crime;
       (3) encourages policymakers, criminal justice officials, 
     victim service and human service agencies, institutions of 
     higher education, and nonprofit organizations to increase 
     awareness of stalking and continue to support the 
     availability of services for victims of stalking; and
       (4) urges national and community organizations, businesses 
     in the private sector, and the media to promote awareness of 
     the crime of stalking through ``National Stalking Awareness 
     Month''.

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