Durham girl's efforts lead to Stalking Awareness Month in N.C.
According to the Governor's Office, 7 and a half million people are stalked in the United States every year, and one of those victims was a Durham teenager who now has people talking about the issue.
Posted — UpdatedIt was a happy moment on Monday for Noor Sandhu when Gov. Pat McCrory signed a proclamation declaring January Stalking Awareness Month in the state of North Carolina.
“She had personally had this issue impact her,” said McCrory.
Sandhu first became a stalking victim at age 14.
“It is not a way to live. Cyber-stalking, physical stalking,” said Sandhu. “It can happen through putting viruses on someone’s computer, you do not have to be on social media to be cyber-stalked.”
Now 16, Sandhu can’t get into the details of the events because her case is still not resolved, but she can talk about how it felt.
“The victims of stalking, every second of every day, they are afraid for their lives,” she said.
Sandhu thought that more needed to be done to fight stalking crimes, so she called state lawmakers, including the Governor’s Office.
According to the Governor’s Office, Monday’s declaration regarding stalking awareness is the first of its kind in the nation.
Despite the governor’s declaration, Sandhu is not done. She wants to see stronger charges against accused stalkers, and she may get her wish.
“[We want] to see if we can potentially increase penalties for those caught stalking,” said McCrory.
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