The Consequences of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Stalking Victimisation
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REVIEW ARTICLE
The Consequences of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Stalking Victimisation Kelly Bracewell 1
&
Paul Hargreaves 1 & Nicky Stanley 1
Accepted: 3 September 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Stalking involves repeated unwanted communication, harassment, and intrusive behaviour. This brief report draws on a service evaluation undertaken immediately prior to and during the 2020 COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic creates a paradox when considering safety in the home, but it is important to recognise the dangers this presents to many victims of stalking. The information presented in this report is based on existing literature and early evidence from semi-structured interviews and discussions with 15 victims and six practitioners. Whilst lockdown measures might appear to be a time when victims are less accessible to their stalkers, early evidence from this study suggests that their vulnerability is increased. Technology has helped to facilitate stalking behaviours by providing stalkers with new approaches to control, humiliate, threaten and isolate their victims. Some lockdown restrictions have provided increased opportunities for stalkers to monitor their victims and the professional uncertainty and recognition around stalking has continued, coupled with delays in the criminal justice system. The COVID-19 crisis has reversed gains made by stalking victims and has imprisoned some victims in their homes making their whereabouts easier to monitor. Stalking behaviour has not ceased as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions and the risk of harm to victims remains significant. Effective practice, policy and legal responses are required for both the victims and perpetrators of stalking during the pandemic and afterwards. Keywords Stalking . Stalkers . COVID-19 . Interpersonal violence
Introduction Stalkers and stalking behaviour permeate every aspect of a victim’s life including their mental and emotional health, employment and social opportunities. For these victims, the restrictions on daily life imposed in response to COVID-19 (coronavirus) have had particular consequences which have so far remained relatively overlooked. This brief report highlights the implications of the COVID-19 crisis for stalking including its impact on victims, perpetrator behaviour, criminal justice responses and specialist service responses. The information presented is based on early evidence from semistructured interviews and discussions with 15 victims and six practitioners gathered in the course of an ongoing service evaluation of Paladin, a UK stalking advocacy service. The * Kelly Bracewell [email protected] 1
School of Social Work, Care and Community, University of Central Lancashire, Office 131 Eden Building, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
evaluation began in early March 2020, immediately prior to the UK lockdown in response to COVID-19. The pandemic has challenged individuals, the economy, services and the domestic violence and abuse (DVA) sector in ways that are increasingly recognized (W
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