In this issue:

1.) January is National Stalking Awareness Month

2.) Reminder: TAP Open House is coming up on January 13^th!

JANUARY IS NATIONAL STALKING AWARENESS MONTH

This January marks the seventh annual observance of National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM), started in 2004 by the National Center for Victims of Crime. Texas Advocacy Project would like to help raise awareness about this serious and deadly crime that victimizes more than one million women and nearly 400,000 men in America each year. An effective response to stalking includes the entire community. Police, prosecutors, advocates, educators, reporters, neighbors, family and friends... everyone can and should play a part in stopping stalking. Working together, we can make victims safer. We encourage you to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the myths and facts surrounding stalking listed below.

STALKING - MYTHS & REALITIES

MYTH: Stalking is annoying but not illegal.

REALITY: Stalking is a crime under the laws of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government. 15 states classify stalking as a felony upon the first offense. 34 states classify stalking as a felony upon the second offense and/or when the crime involves aggravating factor such as possession of a deadly weapon; violation of a court order or condition of probation/parole; victim under 16; same victim as prior occasions.

MYTH: Only celebrities are stalked.

REALITY: 1.4 million people are stalked every year in the United States. We may hear more about celebrity stalking cases in the media, but the vast majority of stalking victims are ordinary citizens.

MYTH: If you ignore stalking, it will go away.

REALITY: Stalkers seldom "just stop." In fact, behaviors can turn more and more violent as time goes on. Victims should seek help from advocates, law enforcement, and the courts to intervene to stop the stalking.

MYTH: Stalking is creepy but not dangerous.

REALITY: Stalking is creepy and dangerous. Three out of four women who were murdered by an intimate partner had been previously stalked by the killer.

MYTH: You can't be stalked by someone you are still dating.

REALITY: If your current girlfriend or boyfriend tracks your every move or follows you around in a way that causes you fear, that is stalking. 59% of female stalking victims and 30% of male stalking victims are stalked by an intimate partner.

MYTH: Modern surveillance technology is too expensive and confusing for most stalkers to use.

REALITY: Stalkers can buy surveillance software and hardware very inexpensively and can easily track victims' every move. Although newly-developed technology enhances our lives, it can also empower criminals. Cell phones, computers, GPS and surveillance equipment are just some of the technologies stalkers utilize.

MYTH: If you confront the stalker, he or she will go away.

REALITY: Stalkers can be unreasonable and unpredictable. Confronting or trying to reason with a stalker can be dangerous.

Help is available. If you or someone you know is being stalked, call 800.374.HOPE for free legal assistance and safety planning from Texas Advocacy Project.

*Information provided by the National Center For Victims of Crime

TAP Annual Open House - Wednesday January 13^th

We hope you all will join us this coming Wednesday for our Annual Open House! Meet our board and staff, take a tour of our office, and view our new "Wall of Justice" - revealing our 2009 Justice Partners!

Annual Open House
Wednesday, January 13^th

5:30 - 7:30 pm
Texas Advocacy Project
*Downtown Austin

r.s.v.p. to info@texasadvocacyproject.org

*address and directions will be sent when you r.s.v.p.