Stalking is often seen as a nearly victimless crime. In fact, it has only been in recent years that the public perception regarding stalking has changed to acknowledge that it is a crime, and many people experience not only emotional but physical trauma as well. The victims of stalkers can sustain extensive trauma and live through years, feeling isolated, and without any privacy.
Often people who are victims of stalking will feel that their immediate safety is constantly in danger and that their friends and family are put into danger when there around. Additionally, not everyone knows their stalker. It is a common misconception that women are stalked by scorned lovers, which makes up a small percentage of stalking victims. If you feel like someone is stalking you, you should hire a Greenville private investigator today.
Understanding Stalking and Stalking Victims
One in six women will experience stalking over the course of their life, and an additional one in 19 men will too. That makes up about 21% of the U.S. population. Only about 66% of female victims know their stalker, and about 40% of men know their stalker.
This is drastically lower than the perceived image of all stalking victims knowing and having negative past experiences with their stalkers. In these instances, the victim may have simply gone to school with the person, or worked with them, not necessarily having been linked in a romantic relationship.
Often the stalking doesn’t result in any charges, and typically the victims cannot even get a restraining order. One of the primary obstacles that occur with getting a restraining order or filing charges against a stalker is that the victim simply doesn’t have enough information about the person to take legal action.
How Can Stalking Victims Get Help?
Stalking victims have limited resources when it comes to getting help. Many feel isolated and even embarrassed or ashamed about having a stalker. Many organizations have set up to offer resources and information to victims of these crimes.
If you’re the victim of stalking, then you can reach out to the National Center for Victims of Crime and use their stalking resource center. There are other organizations, such as Stocking Awareness, Safe Horizon, and Victim Connect. You can also find a wide variety of support groups, both online and in person. These groups help victims of stalking connect and share their experiences to not only raise awareness but to overcome some of the trauma which occurred as a result of the stalking.
What Can a Private Investigator Do for a Stalking Victim?
To get even a basic restraining order in South Carolina, you need to prove that there have been at least two events of clear stalking, harassment, or threatening events. Alone text messages won’t prove that. In fact, a slew of text messages that are clearly harassment from a number or series of numbers that you can’t identify won’t prove that. This is why it’s so difficult for stalking victims to get the support they need from law enforcement. The stalking and harassment are happening, but the victim can’t prove who is behind it.
Stalking victims are often left in the sidelines when it comes to law enforcement investigations. One of the things that you can do to take control of this situation in your life is to hire a private investigator. Through careful surveillance and classic investigative technique, our team can help explore who is behind her stalking and help to procure evidence of the stalking and harassment so you can take legal action.
We use surveillance, and a wide variety of investigative methods to give support and information necessary for stalking victims to take back control over their daily lives.
Contact an S.C. Private Investigator
Sometimes the best approach to stalking is to get as much information and understanding about the stalker. With more information, victims can take legal action, give police information they need to press charges, and more. For stalking victims, it’s easy to feel isolated and to know that clearly, your personal privacy and security are at risk. You might take the approach of involving a private investigator to not only learn about your stalker but to get the necessary information to take steps to protect yourself and the people around you.
There is help available, and there are people who are genuinely dedicated to helping individuals get the information and degree of privacy that they deserve. Contact Upstate Private Investigators. We cater to the communities of Greenville and Spartanburg SC, but our investigations take us everywhere. Our experience in handling surveillance, criminal investigations, background checked, and more has equipped us with the skills to handle these types of investigations too.