STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX
_____
JOINT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING JANUARY 2026 AS
STALKING AWARENESS MONTH
WHEREAS, approximately one in 3 women and one 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; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that each year over 13,400,000 individuals in the United States
report that they have been victims of stalking; and
WHEREAS, stalking affects victims of every race, age, culture, gender, sexual
orientation, physical and mental ability and economic status; and
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; and
WHEREAS, more than 80% of victims of stalking report that they have been stalked by
a current or former intimate partner or an acquaintance; and
WHEREAS, some 80% of stalking victims report being stalked with technology, such as
phone calls, text messages, social media platforms, internet posts, emails and electronic
tracking, and victims of technology-facilitated stalking often report higher fear than victims
who experience in-person stalking and are equally concerned for their safety; and
WHEREAS, the prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction and severe
depression is much higher among victims of stalking than among the general population; and
WHEREAS, nearly 70% of female stalking victims and 80% of male stalking victims are
threatened with physical harm by stalkers; and
WHEREAS, stalking is a risk factor for intimate partner homicide, and 3 in 4 female
victims of intimate partner homicide were stalked by their killers during the year preceding the
homicide; and
WHEREAS, over 10% of victims of stalking report having been stalked for 5 or more
years, and 2 in 3 stalkers pursue their victims at least once a week; and
WHEREAS, many victims of stalking are forced to take drastic measures to protect
themselves, including relocating, changing jobs or obtaining protection orders; and
WHEREAS, many victims of stalking do not report stalking to the police or contact a
victim service provider, shelter or hotline; and
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; and
WHEREAS, national organizations, local victim service organizations, college and
university campuses, prosecutors' offices and police departments stand ready to assist victims
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of stalking and are working diligently to develop effective and innovative responses to stalking,
including online stalking; and
WHEREAS, there is a need to improve the response of the criminal justice system to
stalking through more aggressive investigation and prosecution and a need to increase the
availability of victim services across the United States, including programs tailored to meet the
needs of victims of stalking; and
WHEREAS, January 2026 marks the 22nd anniversary of the first National Stalking
Awareness Month, which provides an opportunity to educate the people of the United States
about stalking; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Thirty-second Legislature
now assembled in the Second Regular Session, on behalf of the people we represent, take this
opportunity to recognize January 2026 as Stalking Awareness Month and applaud the efforts
of service providers, police departments, prosecutors' offices, national and community
organizations, colleges and universities and private sector entities that combat stalking, support
victims and bring awareness to this crime, and we encourage 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.
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