Presidential Document2023-00094
National Stalking Awareness Month, 2023
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 5, 2023
Signed
December 30, 2022
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 3 (Thursday, January 5, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 3 (Thursday, January 5, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 743-744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00094]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 3 / Thursday, January 5, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 743]]
Proclamation 10512 of December 30, 2022
National Stalking Awareness Month, 2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
During National Stalking Awareness Month, we shine a
light on the insidious crime of stalking, recommit to
protecting survivors, and reaffirm that every American
deserves to live free from fear, intimidation, and
threats to their physical safety and emotional well-
being.
Studies show that more than 3 million people aged 16 or
older are victims of stalking on an annual basis in the
United States. Being stalked, whether in-person or
online, means having to worry about your safety at
work, at school, in public, and even at home. It can
mean having to uproot your life, leave your job, and
suffer physical and psychological harms. One of the
driving forces of my career has been fighting back
against abuses of power. That is why I was proud to
write and champion the groundbreaking Violence Against
Women Act (VAWA) as a United States Senator, landmark
legislation that first passed in 1994. In the nearly
three decades since, I have worked with Members of the
Congress from both parties to renew and strengthen VAWA
three times in 2000, 2005, and 2013. And I was proud to
sign its reauthorization this year. The 2022
reauthorization law increases resources and support for
law enforcement to investigate and prosecute stalkers
and offenders of gender-based violence. It extends
legal protections for survivors as well as access to
transitional housing when they flee unsafe homes. It
expands recognition of Tribal courts' jurisdiction over
non-Native perpetrators to include stalking, sexual
assault, child abuse, and sex trafficking.
Additionally, VAWA calls on the Attorney General to
develop a national strategy to address the rising rate
of cybercrimes, including cyberstalking.
As President, I also created the White House Task Force
to Address Online Harassment and Abuse, which is co-
chaired by the Gender Policy Council and the National
Security Council to expand on these efforts and
coordinate a Federal approach to preventing and
addressing technology-facilitated gender-based
violence. The taskforce is producing recommendations
for State governments, technology platforms, schools,
and other public and private entities to combat
cyberstalking and other online abuses. At the same
time, it is working closely with survivors, advocates,
and parents to promote the safety of communities most
impacted by online abuse, including women, girls, and
LGBTQI+ individuals.
Cracking down on stalking and helping victims heal must
be a government-wide effort. Since I took office, the
Department of Justice has provided nearly $970 million
in grants to help victim service providers, law
enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, and
community-based organizations prevent and address
domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating
violence. And the Department of Housing and Urban
Development has provided 70,000 emergency housing
vouchers to assist individuals and families who are
homeless or at-risk of homelessness, including victims
of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and
human trafficking. In June, I also signed the
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law--the first
major bipartisan gun safety legislation in more than 30
years--which requires young people ages 18 to 21 to
undergo enhanced background checks, narrows
[[Page 744]]
the ``boyfriend loophole'' to keep guns out of the
hands of dating partners convicted of misdemeanor
crimes of domestic violence, funds crisis intervention,
including red flag laws, and services to address the
trauma experienced by survivors of gun violence.
It is essential that we bring these offenses out of the
shadows, making it unmistakably clear that violence,
displays of unwanted attention that cause someone to
fear for their safety or suffer substantial emotional
distress, and other abuses of power will not stand.
This month, let us strengthen stalking prevention
efforts, amplify the voices of survivors, and hold
stalkers accountable. We can--and must--advance a safer
and more just America for all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2023
as National Stalking Awareness Month. I call on all
Americans to speak out against stalking and to support
the efforts of advocates, courts, service providers,
and law enforcement to help those who are targeted and
send the message to perpetrators that these crimes will
not go unpunished.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
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(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-00094
Filed 1-4-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 5, 2023.
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