Stalking and Domestic Violence – It’s Not Just The Victim Who is at Risk

Liora K Photography

Monday, February 3rd, 2014
  
By Nancy Salamone

Domestic Violence Goes to Work.

When the victim has a job and the

abuser stalks them every employee

is at risk.

Leaving an abuser is one of the most dangerous times for a victim. Statistics show, that women who leave their abusers are at a 75% greater risk of being killed by the abuser than those who stay.

When a victim leaves the relationship the abuser fears they are losing control over the victim and need to regain their control and dominance over the victim – hence an abuser may resort to stalking. And if the victim has a job the stalking and harassment can spill over to the workplace.

When I left my husband the one place he knew I would be was at work and obviously he knew where I worked.  He did come to my office but was blocked from entering the building by the security guards who were given instructions not to allow him in the building. It was not until the security guards threatened to call the police that he finally left.

Since he was unable to enter my workplace he then resorted to staking me each day as I was leaving my office. He also began harassing not only me but my co-workers too. He would call all my co-workers and threaten to kill them and me. My co-workers were obviously scared and rightfully feared for their lives.

Thankfully he never harmed any of my co-workers but there are instances where a batterer does gain access to the workplace with the intent to harm not just the victim but other employees too.  In fact Radcliffe Haughton entered the spa in Brookfield, Wisconsin, which is middle to upper class community outside of Milwaukee, where his wife worked and opened fire and shot seven people in the spa – 3 of them fatally.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, data for the year 2003 shows that homicides were the second leading cause of death on the job for women and 15% of the 119 workplace homicides of women were attributed to a current or former husband or boyfriend.

When a victim has a job and the abuser stalks them at work every employee is at risk!
Domestic violence goes to work. So the question is “What are you going to do about it?!

Source: http://www.thebusinessofme.com/stalking-and-domestic-violence-its-not-just-the-victim-who-is-at-risk/