Thursday, January 08, 2009

Town Hall Meeting on Stalking

National Stalking Awareness MonthJanuary 13, 2009, 7-9 PM
Santa Fe Rape Crisis and Trauma Treatment Center


6601 Valentine Way (across from the Southside Library)

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009, from 7 to 9 p.m. the Santa Fe Coordinated Community Response Council, in collaboration with the Santa Fe Rape Crisis and Trauma Treatment Center and Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families will offer a Town Hall Meeting to promote awareness and public education about stalking during the annual observance. The Town Hall Meeting, which will be held at the Santa Fe Rape Crisis and Trauma Treatment Center, 6601 Valentine Way (across from the Southside Library) will host a discussion with SFPD, advocates, victims and Santa Fe Rape Crisis and Trauma Treatment Center representatives. The event will offer a general education on stalking for the general public.

During January 2009, communities across the country will observe National Stalking Awareness Month, a time to focus on a crime that affects 1.4 million victims a year. This year’s theme, “Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It.” challenges the nation to combat this dangerous crime by learning more about it.

Stalking is a crime in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. One in 12 women and one in 45 men will be stalked in their lifetime, for an average duration of almost two years, and most victims are ordinary Americans. The statistic becomes more shocking for New Mexico residents. One in 4 New Mexico women will be stalked sometime in their lifetime. Victims may experience psychological trauma, financial hardship, and even death. Eighty-one percent of victims stalked by an intimate partner were also physically assaulted by that partner, and 76 percent of female homicide victims were stalked prior to their death.

For more information, please contact Carol A. Horwitz at (505) 955-5018 or cahorwitz@santafenm.gov. For additional resources to help promote National Stalking Awareness Month, please visit Stalking Resource Center and USDOJ: Office of Violence Against Women.

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