- Conference
- 2025 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 18 October 2024
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes that stalking affects approximately 1 in 5 women during their lifetime. Despite the prevalence, many women do not report stalking incidents to the police. It’s estimated that only about 20% of stalking cases are reported, often due to fear of not being believed or concerns about further victimisation.
While stalking does not always involve physical violence, it can escalate into more severe forms of violence. In many cases, stalking is perpetrated by someone known to the victim, often an ex-partner or acquaintance. Research indicates that about 60% of women stalked are targeted by former intimate partners and are at a heightened risk of harm.
Conference, studies have shown that women who are victims of stalking experience high levels of psychological distress, with many reporting anxiety, depression, and trauma. The persistent nature of stalking can create a cycle of fear and disruption for women that significantly impacts quality of life, sense of safety at work and at home.
Conference, Under the Protection from Harassment Act, 1997, amendments were added in 2012 which makes stalking a specific offence and lists the kind of behaviours that stalking can consist of. However, concerningly, a super-complaint submitted by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium found that cases are often not taken seriously enough by police and the quality of investigations is inconsistent. This can make it difficult for women to seek protection and justice, often leaving them feeling powerless.
We call on the National Women’s Committee to:
Work with the NEC and all the relevant structures in our union, including labour link to advocate for a change in the law on stalking to make it less confusing and easier for police to understand and apply.
Work with LAOS to develop information materials for members and branches to raise awareness of stalking and signpost to organisations that support victims of stalking.
’Provide the details to regions and branches of the following apps:
https://hollieguard.com/ and https://www.hestia.org/brightsky [as recommended by Bedfordshire police]’’