WINNEMUCCA - Mayor Di An Putnam proclaimed January as "Stalking Awareness Month" at Tuesday's city council meeting and said that stalking does affect our community and is something everyone should be aware of.
"I am pleased to make sure that people understand the awareness and that we use January to promote that awareness," she said.
Putnam, reading from the proclamation composed by Winnemucca Domestic Violence Services (WDVS), said that 3.4 million people over 18 are stalked each year in the U.S. and 75 percent of victims are stalked by someone they know. Three out of four women killed by an intimate partner have been stalked by that partner, she said.
WDVS is teaming up with victim service providers, criminal justice officials and concerned citizens throughout Winnemucca and the U.S. to observe national stalking awareness month, according to Putnam.
"I applaud the efforts of the many victim service providers, police officers, prosecutors, national and community organizations and private sectors for their efforts in supporting awareness about stalking," she said.
WDVS Program Director Tiffany Stickney said that stalking is prominent in the Winnemucca community and is one of the issues her organization educates on and brings awareness too. Advocates are trained to assist with stalking/harassment orders and assist victims of those crimes, she said.
"Stalking is a serious crime and can be an indicator of further abuse..." Stickney said. "In intimate partner violence, stalking is directly correlated to physical abuse and femicide (murder of a woman)."
Stickney said that 89 percent of "femicide" victims who were physically assaulted were also stalked within 12 months prior to their death. Stickney's warning to victims of stalking: take it seriously. She said to watch for warning signs and pay attention to gut feelings.
"Stalking can lead to more serious crimes and even physical abuse," she said. "Protect yourself."
Stickney recommends having a safety plan, keeping logs of stalking and any text messages, voice mails or other communications. She said to take photos of any evidence of stalking and to cut off communication with the stalker. Another important step, according to Stickney, is to tell people that the stalking is occurring.
"Your friends, family and co-workers can help keep you safe and get help if a problem arises," she said. "Get a stalking/harassment protection order if you are in fear of your safety."
WDVS can assist with all of those options, Stickney said.
In addition to composing a proclamation to bring awareness to stalking, WDVS also offers more information on their website (www.winnemuccadvs.org), Facebook page, and Twitter account. WDVS will also give several presentations this month on stalking awareness. Any business, group or organization that wishes to host one of those presentations can contact WDVS at (775) 625-1313 and schedule with Stickney.
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