In the span of a single year, an estimated 13.5 million people are stalked in the United States, according to the Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center.

 In light of Stalking Awareness Month and spikes of reported stalking over the past year, UC Santa Barbara Campus Advocacy, Resources & Education hosted a “Stalking Awareness and Bystander Intervention” workshop on Jan. 28. The event aimed to educate students and staff on the dangers of stalking and equip them with strategies to recognize, respond and take action in such situations.

Campus Advocacy, Resources & Education C.A.R.E. provides free and confidential services focused on preventing and addressing sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking and harassment. These services are open to all students and staff and aim to empower survivors and prevent harm. According to the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center (SPARC), stalking occurs when someone repeatedly engages in behavior targeting a specific individual, causing them to reasonably fear for their safety or the safety of others.

The event was held in the Student Resource Building from 12-1:15 p.m. and had five attendees.

“This event is designed to increase people’s understanding of stalking behaviors and how our society normalizes it, especially in media and pop culture, and then to learn how to intervene when people feel safe and able to when they see harm happening,” C.A.R.E. Prevention Coordinator Stephanie Raya said. 

Raya said stalking behavior can be confused with romantic and thoughtful behavior. Signs of stalking she discussed include following or appearing where the “survivor” or victim is lingering around their home, school or workplace and making threats against the “survivor” or their loved ones, among other actions.

“This is important because there are so many people that are impacted by this, and especially with people close to our age. 18 to 24 is the highest targeted population of stalking,” Raya said.

She also pointed out several misconceptions surrounding stalking, like the belief that only women can be victims of stalking. One in 17 men were victims of stalking in their lives, and 41% of these men first experienced stalking before age 25, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, Raya said a common misconception is that stalking behaviors are romantic and thoughtful, which must be challenged to prevent stalking.

“It’s really important that we’re aware of what stalking is so we can identify it and stop it,” Raya said. 

In fact, 43% of college students who experience legally-defined stalking do not recognize their experience as ‘stalking,’ according to SPARC. Raya said that the goal of workshops such as this is to educate the campus community about stalking and also the services available to prevent it.

“We share these resources and let everyone know that stalking isn’t okay from the get-go and there are the resources to stop it. Then we’re using those early preventative measures to even stop it from happening,” Raya said.

According to Raya, media has also played a role in normalizing stalking. Raya identified popular media that she said romanticized and encouraged stalking, such as the Netflix series “You,” the “Twilight” movies and Spotify user playlists with titles that glorify stalking like “stalking him & his family,” among others.

“How does our society talk about the issue of stalking? Trivialize, romanticize, rationalize, perpetuating myths around stalking,” Raya said. She said this normalization of stalking can negatively impact young people who don’t have lots of experience with romantic relationships, and they might come to believe that stalking is acceptable behavior after being exposed to these ideas in the media.

Participants said they believe survivors of stalking need to be taken seriously, and this normalization in popular culture can impede that. 

“We shouldn’t ignore stalking. We shouldn’t normalize it in our culture or with friends especially,” event attendee and UCSB math department postdoctoral researcher Azar Ostovan said.

Raya also informed participants on what to do if they encounter a stalking situation in their own lives, whether they are experiencing it personally or supporting a friend or family member. She advised that bystanders should intervene by either directly confronting the individual who is being harmed or committing the harm, delegate by calling for reinforcement like Student Safety Partners or creating a distraction to disrupt the harmful situation. 

“Less than 40% of stalking victims report to law enforcement. Only 29% of student survivors seek campus resources,” Raya said. 

Ostovan said she attended the event to help her understand the available resources on campus to be prepared to combat a potential stalking situation. 

“I learned about available resources on campus. Now, I know, for example, if I need to get more information about a problem that I have experienced, where I can go when I need to go,” Ostovan said.

Some of these resources include C.A.R.E.’s survivor advocacy services and prevention education training for students, staff and faculty. Survivors can also speak in confidentiality with an advocate and discuss their rights and options. C.A.R.E. cannot share what is discussed with law enforcement without the survivor’s explicit written consent except for in cases of child abuse or imminent risk of harm to the survivor or others.

“There are resources available, there are people who care and who do want to intervene. It’s just a matter of having to educate yourself, and once you do have that knowledge, it’s your responsibility to educate others,” Raya said.

A version of this article appeared on p. 5 of the Feb. 6, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.