A problem is much harder, if not impossible, to solve if the core of the issue is misunderstood. This holds true in all areas of life, but specifically the issue at hand this Stalking Awareness Month.
Because of how it is portrayed in the media, people often write stalking off as a crime perpetrated by a creepy stranger, one that peers into women's windows in the middle of the night. While this form of stalking does happen and should be addressed, it is by no means the norm, especially on a college campus, making it difficult for people to truly understand the issue and how to help a victim when one comes forth.
According to the Stalking Resource Center, 3.4 million people over the age of 18 are stalked in the United States each year, with people age 18-24 experiencing stalking at the highest rates. While there is little data specific to Madison, it can be inferred that not only is stalking happening on this campus, but that it is a big problem that demands our attention.
What makes this phenomenon more likely is perpetrators' recent utilization of technology. One in 10 victims report being stalked through the use of some kind of technology, including text messaging and the Internet. Additionally, 10 percent of victims report being monitored with global positioning systems like those used on social media sites to post location updates.
Knowing that most, if not all, students use at least one of these tools, it seems terribly likely that this is the form stalking often takes on the UW-Madison campus. However, because the specifics of this trend are confused, people often advise how they think students can best protect themselves.
Just like women are told to never walk alone at night, not to drink too much or dress modestly as a means to prevent sexual assault, people are told to never post their location online, refrain from using applications like Foursquare and keep all online information private to protect themselves from stalking. If these are techniques that make a person feel reassured, then they should be taken. People should take whatever steps they need to in order to feel safe. Still, what comes from pushing these methods as a solution to stalking is often victim blaming.
Instead of asking, "How are you doing?" or "How can I help you?" after a person has been victimized, we ask, "Well was your profile set to private?" or "Why did you say where you were going anyway?" This way of thinking shifts the blame away from the perpetrator and onto the victim. Additionally, like the techniques pushed to prevent sexual assault, the ways people are told to protect themselves against stalkers assume the perpetrator is a stranger, when in fact 75 percent of victims are stalked by someone they know, with 30 percent being stalked by a current or former intimate partner.
To demonstrate the dynamics of stalking and technology, including how people are so easily moved to victim blaming, PAVE will host a Facebook scavenger hunt this week. In partnership with local businesses and organizations, PAVE has created a profile under the name Alex Paverson. During the week of February 6, it will function much like the average student's Facebook page does, including updates about where on campus "Alex" is. When friends of the account see these updates, they are invited to come to the location mentioned, with the first few winning a prize.
The purpose of the project is not to stir up fear within the student body or to have them track the account, but rather to help the campus community understand how easily one could take advantage of Facebook's inherently social features if he or she had bad intentions.
If we are going to truly eradicate stalking from the UW-Madison campus and beyond, these dynamics must be understood and victim-blaming attitudes put to bed. It is not difficult information to understand, but people must be willing to educate themselves to make that difference.
PAVE is a student organization dedicated to ending sexual assault, dating/domestic violence and stalking on the UW-Madison campus through education and activism. This February, the group will be recognizing Stalking Awareness Month. Please direct all questions and comments to uwpavemedia@gmail.com or visit UWPAVE.com.
