DES MOINES, Iowa — Stalking affects more than seven point five billion people every year. That's according to the National Stalking Resource Center. One in three women and one in 13 men will suffer from being stalked. Nearly half of victims don't report this to police.
An Iowa senator is working to change that at the state level, partnering with Tiffany Allison a local advocate for people who fall victim to stalking. State Sen. Zach Nunn, R-Altoona, points to the many loopholes in the legal policies that need updating.
"Tiffany Allison and I are working on new legislation coming up in this legislative session starting in January, that's really going to nail down this idea of a stalker what all it includes, and ensure that there are viable penalties for individuals who are using technology as a means to terrorize individuals in the situation."
Allison founded the nonprofit organization called Soaring Hearts after surviving a situation of domestic violence herself.
"I came to this work because my own victimization history in 2009, and became a victim of domestic violence," Allison said. "I was dating a gentleman who I thought I had done my due diligence, you know, criminal histories, public record, and I had looked at that even prior to dating him. But it wasn't until about a year later when he almost took my life."
After this, Allison recognized the legal system is difficult to navigate as a victim.
"Prior to my own victimization, I, I would tell you that I had a pretty naïve view of how the system worked for a victim. I come from a family of law enforcement. So I always thought, you know, my mom, who was a police officer without catching the bad guys, and they were, you know, going to court being prosecuted and sentenced accordingly for whatever they did. And that is very much not the case," she said.
Allison and Nunn previously worked to change the stalking laws in 2017. Prior to 2017, victims had to prove in court that they were in fear of bodily injury or death, which was oftentimes hard to prove .
With their effort, they were able to lower the bar of requirements needed to prove a person was stalking you by only needing to prove reasonable fear of being stalked.
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