Be Aware of Stalker!

Rebecca Schaefer (actress)


Stella anonymously got a message in her Facebook inbox. The sender is unknown, and the photo is a forgery. Behind that fake account hides a mysterious man, whose name is Stephen. Stella couldn't handle the lure of curiosity and tried to get to know the unknown, mysterious man.


As usual with birthday wishes, surprise gifts arrived for Stella from that mysterious Stephen. Stephen knew all the personal information about Stella. Stella slowly develops a relationship with Stephen as surprise gifts and mysteries unfold. At the end of the story, Stella discovers a mentally unstable man, though it was too late to get rid of danger. Stephen is a prime example of a stalker.


Let's go back to 1989 in California. 21-year-old Rebecca Schieffer was a model and popular television actress.



After collecting the address, one day Robert John Burdo, a 19-year-old crazy fan, appeared at her house. Rebecca is introduced, and she bids him farewell nicely. But an hour later, Bardo returned to Rebecca and shot her in the chest.



Prior to this murder, Bardo had been trying to contact Rebecca for almost a year. Rebecca tried to meet him by appearing on the set of the then-television series "My Sister Sam". But his attempt failed due to the security guard. Later on in "Class Struggle in Beverly Hills", after seeing Rebecca's love scene in a fictional scene, stalker Bardo hatches a plan to kill Rebecca as punishment. As a result, Rebecca was killed by Bardo. The incident of the murder of this celebrity in the American media at that time aroused quite a response. The following year, in 1990, California passed America's first anti-stalking law. Currently, this law is in effect in fifty US states.


Now a little back to the incident of 1984–85.


Mexican-American Richard Ramirez is a serial killer. Until he was caught by the police in 1985, he committed at least fourteen murders, more than two dozen tortures, rapes, and robberies. He used to commit these murders and misdeeds during the normal night. That's why the media sensationally named Ramirez the killer 'Night Stalker'. The court sentenced him to death, although Ramirez later died of cancer.



A 2016 Megan Griffiths movie based on the serial killer Richard Ramirez, titled "The Night Stalker," was later released at the box office in America.



Mental disorders, scoundrels, serial killers—let's get out of this grey talk and focus on some music.


The album "Synchronicity" by the rock band 'The Police' was released in 1983. on the album


The song "Every breath you take," with the lyrics and melody of the British artist Sting, became very popular at that time. The lyrics were like that.


"Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every stop you take—I'll be watching you."



What? In reality, if someone keeps following you unsolicited, how would you feel?


These are the characteristics of a stalker.


What is stocking?


Stalking is the act of targeting an individual in an attempt to gain unwanted attention and harassing them by making unnecessary contact with them, resulting in physical injury or long-term emotional distress. It can be seen that due to stalkers, many times victims lose their jobs, causing personal relationships to be damaged.


What are the characteristics of stalkers?


Stalkers try to make unnecessary contact with the target person. Harassing the victim by frequent phone calls or sending message after message via social media, even sending letters or gifts If that doesn't work, the stalker secretly follows the target person. A stalker even shows up unexpectedly at the target person's home or workplace.


What is a stalking mental illness?


Usually, a personality disorder or unhealthy mindset is the root cause of stalkers' harmful behavior. Stalkers tend to be inept at communicating, socialising, and socialising with people. They are intelligent and carefully plan their stalking of the victim. Stalking is not considered a mental illness but a type of unhealthy mental behaviour.


Reasons to become a stalker:


In 2009, researcher Katrina Baum of the National Institute of Justice, Washington, conducted a survey of 34,16,460 victims of stalking. 36 out of the reasons they believe their stalker sent them 6% said revenge and hatred were the reasons behind the stalking. 32.9% said controlling the target person was the main objective, and 23.4% felt that mental illness or a lack of mental stability was behind the stalking.


Although stalkers do not actually suffer from hallucinations or delusions, they usually show signs of depression, the effects of drug addiction, or personality disorders.


In 1993, Australian psychiatrist and stalking expert Paul Mullen and his colleagues analysed the behaviour of 145 stalker patients and divided stalking into five categories. These are:


1) Rejected


Usually, this sort of behavior is triggered by an unexpected breakup. The root cause of this type of stalking is breaking up with a lover or boyfriend, parent, colleague, or friend. They stalk the victim out of a latent desire to restore the relationship. If the attempt fails, they try to take revenge.


2) Seeking intimacy


Such stalkers have an ingrained belief that the victim loves them as their own. But it may happen that the victim does not know him. Usually celebrities and people from the glamour world are victims of this type of stalker.


In 2009, celebrity singer Shania Twain became the victim of one such stalker. She receives numerous love letters from unknown stalkers. Even the man attended Shania Twain's grandmother's funeral without any notice.


3) Ineligible candidates


According to Dr. Mullen, these types of people are a bit like stalkers who want intimacy. But they tend to be socially relatively backward and of limited intelligence. There are social inefficiencies in relationships. In 2004, British singer Britney Spears was victimised by one such stalker. The stalker sends Britney numerous love letters, emails, and pictures of himself, while also mentioning that he is stalking Britney.


4) Revenge


Such stalkers follow the victim for revenge rather than for a relationship. They feel they have been wronged, and the victim should be punished accordingly. Generally, in their childhood, they grow up under the rule of a strict father. Mark Chapman, the infamous killer of British artist John Lennon, is a prime example of this type of stalker.


5) Attacker


Such stalkers have no intention of establishing any kind of relationship with their victims but tend to assert some kind of authority. According to Dr. Mullen, they physically abuse, especially sexually abuse, the victim. A sexual mental illness called paraphilia is the root cause of this type of stalker.


Now compare: Neelu's stalker Ahmed Sabet in the Devi movie carries what kind of stalker characteristics?


Are you a victim of stalking?


Match the answers to the questions.


1) Has someone's behaviour recently frightened you?


2) Have you ever been abused by that person?


3) Has the person ever wasted any of your assets?


4) Does that person make an unwanted presence at your home, educational institution, or workplace?


5) Does the person roam around your home or workplace?


6) Did the person ever try to physically or sexually assault you?


What to do if you are a victim of stalking:


According to the BBC, more than 1 million men and women are victims of stalking in Britain each year, the majority of whom are women. Although there are no accurate statistics on this in Bangladesh, If you look at daily newspapers and online journals, you can see the daily incidents of eve-teasing and sexual harassment of young women in Bangladesh. From this, one can only guess its horror.


If you understand that someone is stalking you, then the steps to take are:


1) Report the incident of stalking to someone you know. Scammers take advantage of the victim's privacy. If he realises the incident is becoming known, he backs off.


2) Keep a record of the stalker's contact attempts or incidents. So that they can be presented as evidence to the police if necessary.


3) Most cases of stalking occur through virtual communication media. So try to keep your social networking account as safe as possible.


4) Share incidents with classmates, family members, and colleagues at work so that everyone can strengthen their safety net.


5) If you feel insecure, report stalking to the police without delay. Call 999 if necessary.


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এই ব্লগটি থেকে জনপ্রিয় পোস্টগুলি

ছোট্টো মেয়ে ও গরীব কৃষক (শিশুতোষ গল্প)

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