1 in 5 Australian women have been stalked, new report reveals

A Melbourne woman has opened up on the physical and mental toll several years of “relentless stalking” and why she started a nationwide advocacy group.

A Melbourne woman who was stalked relentlessly says the crime is “more than just harassment” for the millions of victims, as shocking new data reveals the nation’s stalking problem.

A new Australian Bureau of Statistics analysis found 1 in 5 women have experienced stalking, with females nearly eight times more likely to be stalked by a man than a woman.

The data revealed 78 per cent of women were stalked by a male they knew, with the most common perpetrator being a current or former intimate partner — with 83 per cent saying at least one area of their lives were impacted as a result.

Di McDonald — who was stalked between 2015 and 2018 by a former colleague — said she still dealt with “stress-related injuries” nearly four years after her stalker was jailed.

“I’ve been quite sick even this year I’ve had a hip replacement caused by my PTSD and stress ... it just eats away at you and it’s horrific,” she said.

“For the longest time it was just called harassment but there’s a lot more involved than just being harassed.

“You’re all alone and you think that you’re the only one in world going through this.”

Ms McDonald has since launched advocacy group “Stalking Awareness Day Australia” which she said was about “filling a hole” for Australian women.

Stalking Awareness Day Australia founder Di McDonald says stalking remains a "major issue" for Australian women. Picture: Stalking Awareness Day Australia

Di McDonald was stalked by an ex-colleague for several years. Picture: Stalking Awareness Day Australia

Stalking Awareness Day Australia held its first national event on May 24 this year.

It comes after the ABS data revealed three quarters of Australian women who were stalked by a man did not contact police about their most recent incident, with most not doing so because they “felt they could deal with it themselves”.

In May, the Allan government announced it would allow victims to take out longer intervention orders against abusive partners, and boost the powers of Victoria Police to slap offenders with longer family violence safety notices.

1 in 5 Australian women have experienced stalking according to an ABS study.

According to the ABS report, the most common duration of stalking was between one month and a year and the most common behaviours included maintaining “unwanted contact ... online or by phone” and loitering around their victim’s home or work.

It comes as Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency revealed more than two in three men accused of stalking women went on to allegedly assault a female.

The ABS report also found 1 in 15 men have been victims of stalking.