Presidential Proclamation -- National Stalking Awareness Month, 2013
NATIONAL STALKING AWARENESS MONTH, 2013
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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.
BARACK OBAMA
