Stalking is defined as "a course of conduct directed at a specific person that involves repeated visual or physical proximity, nonconsensual communication, or verbal, written or implied threats or a combination thereof, that would cause a reasonable person to fear." Stalking is a crime in all 50 states and the Federal Government.

• 1 out of every 12 women will be stalked during her lifetime
• 81% of women who were stalked by a current or former husband or cohabiting partner were also physically assaulted and 31% were also sexually assaulted by that partner.
• 77% of female victims were stalked by someone they knew. 59% of female victims were stalked by an intimate partner.
• Average duration of stalking reported was 1.8 years; however if stalking involved intimate partners, average duration increased to 2.2 years.
• Top three reasons victims thought the stalking ended: victim relocated, stalker got a new love interest, and police warned stalker.
• According to a study conducted, 67% of stalking victims reported their situation to the police, 70% changed their usual behavior, 36% moved, 11% purchased a gun, and 11% obtained a protection order.
• Victims reported that their stalkers abused alcohol in 57.8% of cases

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, numerous high-profile cases involving celebrities began to catch the attention of the media and public policy leaders. Only then did such behavior begin to be described as "stalking." Since then, stalking has become a common subject in the popular media. With the advent of blockbuster films -- such as Fatal Attraction, Cape Fear, and Sleeping with the Enemy -- and its coverage by the news media, "stalking" has become a household word.