Stalking is about obsession. It may be motivated by an intense affection or an extreme dislike toward a person. Stalking usually takes the form of annoying, threatening, or obscene telephone calls or letters. The calls may start with one or two a day but can quickly escalate. Stalkers will spy on their victims and follow every move they make. Even victims' homes may be staked out.

It can happen to anyone. Stalkers don't just target their victim, but also their victims' families, friends and others who know them. Victims can be stalked for several days, weeks, or even years.

A statistically small but visible number of stalking victims are celebrities. Gavin de Becker, an expert on stalking who deals with celebrity cases, has a collection of over 300,000 letters or gifts given to stalking victims. These gifts have ranged from half-eaten candy bars to body parts.

Victims can be casual acquaintances or random targets. Through constant harassment, stakers have succeeded in making themselves the focal point of their victims' lives. Victims' lives can become a nightmare, with the victims virtual prisoners in their homes.

The majority of stalking takes place between people who have known each other intimately. Domestic violence stalkers, as a category, constitute the most dangerous and potentially lethal group of stalkers. These types of stalkers often delude themselves into believing that their victims belong to them and are theirs to control. They may feel justified in punishing their victims for trying to escape. These abusers often rationalize their inappropriate behavior by blaming the victim. Leaving an abusive relationship requires care in planning and execution. Personnel at domestic violence shelters and victims assistance groups can be of tremendous help in working out the details. If you are a victim. Remember that you do not deserve to be stalked or battered in a relationship.

So whether victims may be stalked by former lovers, co-workers, or strangers, they need to play it safe and protect themselves, their families, friends, and co-workers.