According to the Fight Against Domestic Violence Facebook page, stalking is defined as a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their or others’ safety or suffer substantial emotional distress.

Some of the most common ways stalking is perpetrated is by unwanted phone calls, emails or texts; showing up at a person’s home or place of employment unexpectedly and uninvited; following the victim; or sending gifts or letters that are not wanted. While some of things may not seem serious to outsiders, they can be disturbing and scary to the person being stalked.

While the stalking of celebrities or people in the public eye may be the instances we hear about in the news more often, most stalking occurs amongst people who know each other. Most commonly, a stalker is an acquaintance or current or former intimate partner. Surprisingly, on average, stalking by a partner lasts for two years.

It’s not an uncommon occurrence, which might also be surprising to many of us. In fact, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men experience stalking at some point in their lifetime.

This is an issue that needs to be taken seriously. Stalking often co-occurs with violence. According to Fight Against Domestic Violence, 76% of intimate partner homicides are preceded by stalking.

So, what if you feel like you are being stalked? Here are some tips for victims from stalkingawareness.org:

• Trust your instincts.
• Call the police, especially if you are in imminent danger. Tell the police why you think you are being stalked.
• Keep a record or log of each contact with the stalker. Save any evidence, such as notes or messages.
• Get connected with a local victim service provider who can help you with a safety plan.

Local help is available, in addition to local police departments. Some of these resources include The Refuge Utah (therefugeutah.org), Utah Domestic Violence Coalition (udvc.org) and Fight Against Domestic Violence (fadv.org).