You are or were threatened, persecuted, harassed, insulted or stalked

If a person has persecuted, harassed or perhaps even threatened you time and again over an extended period of time so that you no longer feel safe at home, at work and in your everyday life, this is referred to as "stalking".

There are different actions by which you can be stalked. These include, above all, the following: Conducting permanent telephone calls (telephone terror); frequently ringing the telephone by day and night; sending masses of messages to the mobile phone, a mailbox, per mail or per e-mail; continuously harassing you in social networks; giving you flowers and other gifts you do not want; ordering goods and placing advertisements in your name; and spying out your daily routine, your personal environment and your personal data.

In Germany, "Stalking" is meanwhile punishable as an offence (Section 238 of the German Criminal Code (StGB)).

In addition, some actions committed by the stalker are just as punishable as the stalking itself. These include, in particular, damage to property, threat, defamation, insult, coercion, sexual coercion, bodily injury, homicidal attempt or homicide.

The difference between harassing behaviour and punishable stalking is not clearly defined. If you feel fear or panic, please contact the victim support institutions, the public prosecution office or the police in any case. These institutions can provide advice and assistance in the defence against possible assaults. They can also conduct a so-called hazard assessment, take measures against the stalker and initiate investigative proceedings as required.