VICTIMS of stalking need support more than ever, says charity founder and former Glasgow Times Scotswoman of the Year Ann Moulds.

As National Stalking Awareness Week gets underway, Ann has launched a new fundraising appeal to help people affected by this devastating crime.

“National Stalking Awareness Week has even greater relevance this year,” she said. “In the unique circumstances of a global pandemic, which has led to people being confined at home, victims of stalking behaviour may feel even more isolated and alone, while perpetrators may feel emboldened.”

She added: “Action Against Stalking and other agencies are working tirelessly to empower victims and increase public understanding of this often misunderstood crime.

“Let me reassure anyone suffering at the hands of another person or persons – you do not have to face this alone.”

Ann set up AAS in 2009 following her own terrifying ordeal at the hands of a stalker.

Read more: "My stalker got help, but I was a mess" - campaigner looks back on 10 years of anti-stalking charity

The charity launched National Stalking Awareness Week in 2012 in collaboration with partners across the UK.

The theme of this year’s awareness week, which runs until April 25, is See Stalking Clearly. Events will include a virtual conference on Wednesday, April 22, featuring contributions from Humza Yousaf MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, and Rona Mackay MSP, who is sponsoring a Scottish Parliament bill to introduce stalking protection orders and was due to host a reception for the charity this week. The event will be on YouTube from 6pm.

As part of a National Lottery-funded Game Changers project, journalism students from the University of the West of Scotland worked with AAS to create six films on stalking which will be shown at the conference.

“This year, we are aiming to help direct victims to the correct support services, and to give them confidence in the justice system,” said Ann.

“This week is also about reinforcing the zero tolerance message.”

She added: “I had no idea 10 years on that I would still be immersed in trying to help the victims of stalking.

“We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. Most people don’t really have a clear idea on what stalking actually is.

“Police Scotland look at behaviour that is fixated, obsessive, unwanted or repeated, and they can take action as soon as there are two incidents that fall into those categories.

"Generally, stalking is not a physical crime but a psychological one. There are few overt threats. Instead a person’s normal life is eroded because they are on the receiving end of continual texting, calls or messages or following. It’s all designed to unsettle and that is the crime."

As the umbrella group campaigning against stalking and supporting the rights of victims across the UK since its original formation as the campaign Action Scotland Against Stalking in 2009, AAS now works in partnership with stakeholders as part of the Scottish National Stalking Group.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of stalking laws being changed in Scotland after Ann’s passionate campaign for tougher sentencing. It is also 10 years since the foundation of the national stalking helpline by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, a confidential resource for stalking victims.

To mark the decade since the legislative change in Scotland, AAS has launched a significant new fund-raising campaign, £10 for 10.

The money raised will allow AAS to expand its training program and workshops for support groups and organisations that help stalking victims. Find out more at actionagainststalking.org