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“And Where You Go, I’ll Follow”: Stalking and the Complex Task of Preventing It

Stalking in its broad sense and different forms within the spectrum of sexual violence has been an omnipresent characteristic of interpersonal relationships ranging from persistent and/or unwanted courtship and attention, harassment, obsessive following to threats, physical violence and murder. Yet it has only recently been criminalised in the UK after a series of high-profile cases and continuous calls and campaigns by families of victims and charities for more effective punishment of perpetrators. And while the criminalisation of stalking has brought about some positive changes including the acknowledgement of the harms suffered by victims of this type of abuse, it is crucial to bear in mind that this behaviour has been out there for a very long time in the form of the ‘everyday intrusions’ (as Betsy Stanko succinctly describes) that (mostly) women have had to endure and accommodate in their lives and as such tackling it requires a deeper investigation of its causes and a multifaceted approach. This chapter will look at current strategies and proposed measures for preventing and managing stalking (e.g. multi-agency interventions) and problematize them in light of empirical work and recent international movements. As Walklate in her chapter about sexual violence stresses it is often the case that preventive strategies aim to help and protect victims by addressing different factors and assessing risks but fail to take into account and question the socio-cultural context that enables and fosters these behaviours in the first place. Implications for future practice will be considered and discussed.