Stalking and IPV/DV Violence

Acts of domestic violence (DV), emotional, physical, or sexual, as well as previous stalking behavior can lead to separations. The stalking partner may then use additional stalking tactics as a way to monitor, or entice the victim to come back to them.

Some victims never identify a clear motive for their partner's stalking, There also may be a mixed or fluctuating motive.

McFarlane, et al. (1999) found among femicide victims 88% reported the relationship had ended (ex-partner), compared to 69% who reported it was current (partner).

Attempted femicide victims who reported stalking relationship-rates were, 68% reported the relationship had ended, and 63% the relationship was current.

McFarlane, et al. (2002) later found similar statistically significant rates, 83% of actual/attempted femicide victims reporting ex-partner; and 63% reporting current partner. However, abused participants reported 45% were in current relationships and 59% were ex-partners, which was not significant.

McFarlane, et al. (1999) found one significantly different threat behavior. Attempted femicide victims reported their stalker "threatened to kill self if victim left" significantly more (34%) than femicide victims (19%) (p.310).

Threats of harm toward actual/attempted femicide victims were significantly higher than those reported by abused victims (McFarlane, et al., 2002). However, among the actual/attempted femicide group threatening to kill the victim (54.5%) and frightening the victim with a weapon (39.6%) were significantly higher than the abused group (McFarlane, et al., 2002). Victims who reported being threatened or frightened with a weapon had nearly six times increased risk. 

Additionally, actual/femicide victims did not have substantial reports of  threats to call child protective services, immigration, or other authorities (8.7%). However, victims who reported threats to "harm the children if the victim left" had a ninefold increase in femicide risk (p. 64).

Threatening or frightening the victims family increase risk twofold (McFarlane, et al., 2002)

Threatening to kill the victim three times increase risk (McFarlane, et al., 2002)

 Overall, seven out of 10 of the threat behaviors were associated with increased risk of femicide (McFarlane, et al., 2002).

McFarlane, et al. (2002) found in further analysis after controlling for demographics, that stalking behavior in which the perpetrator followed, spied on, or tried to communicate with the victim against their will, increased the risk of femicide nearly two-fold. A third behavior, of unwanted calls was identified as significant in adjusted models.

Leaving "scary notes" on the victim's car four times more likely to become a femicide victim (McFarlane, et al., 2002, p. 64). 

Behaviors that worked as protective factors and lowered the risk by 50% included intentionally harming a pet,  and leaving voicemail messages (McFarlane, et al., 2002).

Questions were limited to the 12 months preceding the incident in both studies, utilizing informants where necessary. Physical abuse was found in 67% of femicide victims, and 71% of attempted femicide victims (McFarlane, et al., 1999). Of those who reported abuse, 89% also reported stalking, compared to 56% of nonabused femicide victims. A significant relationship between physical abuse and stalking also existed, among attempted femicide victims 91% of those who reported abuse within the year prior to the incident also reported stalking compared to 68% of nonabused women reporting stalking. 

While only 69% actual/attempted femicide victims were physically abused within the last year, which was less than their abused counterparts (100%), abuse was significantly associated with reporting stalking, 79%, compared to non-abused (49%) McFarlane, et al. (2002).

From an 18 item-survey, McFarlane, et al. (1999) found no statistically significant difference between the number of reported behaviors from from the femicide group (M = 4.6), and the attempted femicide group (M = 4.2).

Utilizing a 16 item survey, McFarlane, et al. (2002) found the actual/attempted femicide group to be significantly higher (M =2.4) than  abused group (M = 1.4).

There were no statistically significant differences in reporting behaviors between femicide (54%) and attempted femicide (49%) (McFarlane, et al., 1999). 

However, when comparing both actual/attempted femicide (41%) to abused women (19%), we do see a difference (McFarlane, et al., 2002). 

The most common reporting agency was the police in both studies, however it was only reported in McFarlane, et al. (2002), to include sheriffs, attempted/actual femicide victims reported more frequently (29%) compared to (11%) of controls. 

Previous research has found women account for a greater proportion of persons killed by an intimate, including Black male and female victims, murders involving a firearm, however White females non-marital intimate victims between 1976 and 1996 showed an increase in fatalities (McFarlane, et al, 1999).

Ethnicity and education were identified as significant risk factors for femicide in adjusted models (McFarlane, et al, 2002). African American women were four times more likely than White women to become femicide victims, therefore McFarlane, et al.'s, (2002) adjusted model indicated African American women are at threefold greater risk than White women to become femicide victims. Women who had not graduated from high school had a  2.8% increase in risk, or twice as likely.

·  Keep the season safe by sharing holiday specific safety tips.

o  Including starting new holiday routines,

·  Meet family and friends in new locations unknown to the stalker,

·  Avoid places and times where stalkers’ may anticipate finding their victim

o  shopping areas,

o  holiday parades,

o  and events,

·  Use a P.O. Box (or no return address at all) if sending holidays cards/gifts (NRC, 2013).

·  Holiday events must be accessible to all victims receiving services.

o  There are multiple dimensions to accessibility when planning an event 

o  or providing domestic violence services in general.

·  Test plans in advance through the lens of

o  physical,

o  programmatic,

o  communication and 

o  attitudinal accessibility.

·  Holiday celebrations must be inclusive.

o  Provide interpreters and/or closed captioning for Deaf victims. 

·  Holiday decorations must not impede the physical space or become obstacles for victims using assistive devices. 

o  Disability and deafness have been used as weapons to control victims (NRC, 2013).