One in 12 women and one in 45 men have been stalked in their lifetime, and over half of all stalking victims are between the ages of 18 and 29.
To make sure students understand the prevalence of stalking, the Office of Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention and Prevention hosted the third-annual Stalking Awareness Fair on Thursday in the Russell House Ballroom.
The fair, held during Stalking Awareness Month, was designed to educate students about issues surrounding cyberstalking, interpersonal violence and identity theft. Stephanie Hinton, director of Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention and Prevention, said the office hosts the fair every year to demonstrate the connection between interpersonal violence and stalking.
“In the day and age of cell phones, cyberstalking and bullying [are] prevalent.” Hinton said. “We’re trying to educate everybody about how important it is to protect yourself from being stalked.”
At this year’s fair, representatives from Verizon Communications Inc. also attended the fair to show students free apps for iPhone and Android phones that can help protect them against stalking.
For example, React Mobile is an app that will send an alert to emergency contacts when users leave a certain location. Users can set a time limit and check-in when they reach their final destination. If a user does not check-in within the designated time period, their current and last-known whereabouts are sent to the contacts.
Guardly is a secondary app that is specifically targeted towards freshmen, who are typically not as aware of their surroundings as older students are. In the case of an emergency, the app will send the building name, floor number and room number associated with the student’s location to university police.
Although this is Verizon’s first year at the fair, representative Kelley Clinton said that it won’t be the company’s last.
The USC Office of Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention and Prevention is available to students who have been affected by any form of interpersonal violence. The office is located on the first floor of the Thomson Student Health Center, and staff members are on call at all hours.