National Stalking Awareness Month, 2013

Proclamation 8925 of December 31, 2012

National Stalking Awareness Month, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Each year, millions of Americans face the fear,
isolation, and danger of being victims of stalking. At
some point in their lives, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men
will be stalked, and many of these crimes will go
unreported and unprosecuted. During National Stalking
Awareness Month, we rededicate ourselves to supporting
victims of stalking and sharpen our resolve to bring
perpetrators to justice.

Stalking is a pattern of unwanted contact that causes
victims to fear for their safety or the safety of
family members. It can include implied or explicit
threats; harassment; or nonconsensual communication
through phone calls, text messages, or emails. The
perpetrator is usually someone the victim knows.
Stalking behaviors may appear innocuous to outside
observers, but victims often endure intense physical
and emotional distress that affects every aspect of
their lives. Many feel forced to move, or change jobs.
Tragically, stalking tends to escalate over time, and
it is sometimes followed by sexual assault or homicide.

My Administration remains committed to building a
robust criminal justice response to stalking--one that
holds offenders accountable, offers protection and
support to all victims of violence, and empowers them
to break the cycle of abuse. In January 2012, we held
the first-ever White House stalking roundtable with
survivors, law enforcement officers, victim advocates,
and researchers. We have built partnerships with
communities across the Nation to implement anti-
stalking efforts. And we continue to support nonprofit
organizations and local, State, and tribal governments
as they develop more effective responses to violence
against women--including direct services, crisis
intervention, transitional housing, legal assistance to
victims, court improvement, and training for law
enforcement and courts.

We are also working to address the threat of
cyberstalking. While advances in technology are making
this crime more prevalent, they can also pose unique
opportunities to address it. Communities are developing
new tools that help connect victims to local services,
and State governments are updating statutes to further
protect people from cyberstalking. Through our Apps
Against Abuse challenge, my Administration recognized
mobile applications that are empowering people to
defend themselves against dating violence, sexual
assault, and stalking.

Thanks to the dedicated work of law enforcement
officials, community leaders, advocates, organizations,
and survivors, our country has made great strides in
combating stalking. During National Stalking Awareness
Month, we resolve to keep building on this momentum
until no American lives in fear of this crime.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim January 2013 as
National Stalking Awareness Month. I call upon all
Americans to recognize the signs of stalking,
acknowledge stalking as a serious crime, and urge those
impacted not to be afraid to speak out or ask for help.
Let us also

resolve to support victims and survivors, and to create
communities that are secure and supportive for all
Americans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord
two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.