Stalking as a gender-based violence

Reviewing the current stalking literature, this chapter focuses on stalking and how it is experienced by men and women. It is important to stress that taking a gendered approach to defining stalking does not mean that men cannot be acknowledged as victims of stalking. It merely provides a framework to help us understand the differences between men's and women's lived experiences of the abuse and consequent impact in the context of a society founded on gender inequality. Gender differences are not only seen in the way victims experience stalking but also in the way that stalkers perpetrate their crimes. As recognized by many researchers in the field, however, gender-based violence (GBV) is a product of gender inequality and consequently GBV is everybody's issue regardless of gender. The chapter concludes that stalking is a GBV and discusses the merits of framing.