J 1325: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 2026, as Stalking Awareness Month in the State of New York

 Senate Resolution No. 1325 BY: Senator PERSAUD MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 2026, as Stalking Awareness Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official months that are set aside to increase awareness of serious issues that affect the lives of citizens of New York State; stalking is an issue that vastly affects citizens across the State and Nation, causing psychological distress to those that are victims; and WHEREAS, Stalking involves a perpetrator's use of a pattern of harassing or threatening tactics that are both unwanted and cause fear or safety concerns in a victim; and WHEREAS, Victims of stalking may experience being followed in public or at their home; receiving unwanted written, digital or verbal communication; receiving unwanted gifts or other objects that arouse fear and intimidation; being digitally tracked; and being verbally or physically assaulted by their predator; and WHEREAS, More than half of all victims of stalking indicated that they were stalked before the age of 25, and nearly 1 in 4 by the age of 18; and WHEREAS, In a one-year period in the United States, approximately 13.5 million people are stalked; the United States Centers for Disease Control's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey reported that about 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have been stalked at some point in their lives; and WHEREAS, A preconceived notion may be that a stranger is typically a stalker, however, studies show that 40% of victims are stalked by a current or former intimate partner, 42% by an acquaintance, and 11% of stalking victims have been experiencing their terrifying situation for 5 years or more; and WHEREAS, Affecting their ability to go about their daily lives, 1 in 8 employed stalking victims lose time from work as a result of their victimization and more than half lose 5 days of work or more; truly scared for their lives in some instances, 1 in 7 individuals experiencing stalking move as a result of their victimization; and WHEREAS, Stalking victims suffer higher rates of mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, than people in the general population and psychological distress often endures long after stalking may have ceased; and WHEREAS, Prevention strategies must be employed at multiple levels, from individual to communal to societal, to promote lasting social change; and WHEREAS, Primary prevention education and awareness campaigns have the potential to not only increase identification of stalking and the appropriate response from helping professionals and the public, but when used in a primary prevention framework, can also act as a catalyst to change social and community norms to promote healthy and equitable behavior; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 2026, as Stalking Awareness Month in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York.