Responding to Crisis: COVID, Stalking, and Violence

Mary Anne Peck: Writing and Workshops
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WHAT IS STALKING? Stalking: a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear and/or suffer substantial emotional distress. 

A stalker can be a victim’s former romantic partner, an acquaintance, or a total stranger. Some stalkers are driven by a desire to build a relationship with their victim, while others want revenge because they feel that their victim wronged them in the past. 

Stalking can take place in person, with a stalker following their victim and repeatedly visiting their victim’s home. Stalking can also take place remotely, with some stalkers using mail and digital tools to send messages to their victims. 

No matter their reasons and their methods, stalkers cause their victims stress and trauma. 


COVID-19 AND STALKINGStudies have repeatedly shown that large-scale crisis situations can increase the prevalence of violence and dangerous behaviors. The COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis situation that impacted the entire planet, had (and continues to have) this effect. 

Domestic and sexual violence increased during the height of the pandemic, a phenomenon that UN Women has deemed the “Shadow Pandemic.” Social distancing was a tool that helped to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but it also trapped victims with their abusers. While the evidence is still being collected, studies show that the pandemic impacted the prevalence of stalking in a similar way. 

As communities transitioned to working from home and social distancing, victims of stalking were faced with ongoing threats. Stalkers operated with more certainty about the victims’ movements, and many victims were forced to weigh the dangers of staying home and potentially facing their stalker or leaving and potentially being exposed to the virus. The stress and fear were exacerbated by the increase in virtual stalking methods. 


CYBERSTALKING: STALKING IN ONLINE SPACESThe world turned to digital tools for work, health, and socialization during the pandemic. Unfortunately, stalkers turned to these same tools to threaten and harass their victims. Social media, video conferencing, tracking devices, and spyware can all be used by perpetrators to follow their victims, track their digital and physical movements, and send unwanted digital communication.  

Individuals who are experiencing cyberstalking should thoroughly document any communication the stalker attempts (i.e. take screenshots) and report the stalker to the police. 


THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF STALKINGStalking can cause victims to experience mental health conditions such as depression, chronic stress, and anxiety. These conditions are linked to an increased risk of developing long-COVID and developing long-term health issues after a COVID-19 infection. 

Stalking victims are also more likely to experience physical health conditions such as sleeping difficulties, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic pain, frequent headaches, asthma, and/or issues with vision. Many of these conditions have been found to have adverse effects on COVID-19 patients. For example, studies have found that diabetes patients are at a higher risk of developing serious complications when being treated for COVID-19. 

Stalking does not always lead to physical violence, but the threat of violence and the stress associated with being followed, threatened, and harassed can have long term effects on victims. Many stalking victims spend their lives coping with the trauma and remaining hypervigilant–always on the lookout for possible danger. 


FINDING SAFETY, JUSTICE, AND HEALINGVictims deserve to live healthy and safe lives, but the road to justice and healing isn’t always easy. Forty percent of stalking cases are reported to law enforcement, but of those reported cases, only 8% are arrested. Once arrested, victims must wait to see if their stalker will face jail time. 

There are many resources available online for victims. For example, SPARC offers Stalking Incident and Behavior Logs that can be used to document interactions with a stalker. This log can be an important tool for victims and law enforcement to track a stalker’s behavior. 

Victims in American Samoa can reach out to local advocates such as the American Samoa Alliance Against Domestic and Sexual Violence or the American Samoa Attorney General’s Office to learn more about the resources that are available. These professionals can help victims to take steps down the long road towards justice and healing. 

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