Almost 10 percent of Poles are affected by stalkers, a new report by the Institute of Justice has shown.

The stalking comes in the form of either mobile text message harassment or by the spreading of harmful gossip, the report concludes.

Justice minister Krzysztof Kwiatkowski has announced new measures that are to be taken in order to make it easier to clamp down on stalkers, including changes to criminal law.

At present stalkers are often not prosectued against, even though according to statistics over two-thirds spread harmful gossip, slanderous comments and lies about their victims.

50 percent of stalkers threaten or blackmail their victims, and one-third of them follow their ‘prey’ while bombarding them with text messages. There are also known cases of more drastic occurences of stalking, such as breaking and entering, and the use of violence.

Most of the victims are women, the report shows, and almost 20 percent of stalking victims still have ongoing cases. 15 percent of victims state that they have been stalked for at least three years and counting. (jb)

Source: Dziennik Gazeta Prawna

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