<< Back to the list
Practical solutions for preventing harassment and molestation

The phenomenon of women being harassed, either sexually or otherwise, or being threatened by strangers, or worse, by their vengeful and jealous ex-boyfriends or ex-husbands, is already sadly widespread in America but it is also on the increase here in Ita

ANONYMOUS MOLESTERS

The sex maniac who calls up his victim or molests them in a more direct manner, will always dare more and more if he is stimulated by two sensations: that of being immune from punishment and that of obtaining the aims that he has set for himself regarding his victim.

It is important therefore to avoid satisfying these criminals, loosing our head and demonstrating fear or a sense of annoyance. They are to be treated with sufficiency, avoiding threats that you will not be able to put into practice later on.

If, for example a maniac calls you up and you threaten him by saying “I’ve had the police bug this telephone” without actually having done so, he may stop calling you momentarily but then, if he does not hear the police knocking at his door, he will start harassing you again, perhaps even more insistently than before and he may even adopt precautions that will make it more difficult to identify him, even when you really do decide to have the telephone bugged.

If the telephone were actually bugged it would be a stupid idea to go and tell the maniac this, his strength lies in being anonymous. He will do everything to avoid being identified (call from public telephones or use phone cards addressed to someone else), but he will not stop calling, especially when the game gets more exciting for him due to the risks run by the increased attention that is paid to him.

All maniacs who persecute their victims anonymously are people who are very close to their victims. There have been cases where relatives of little girls were identified as their harassers; they are almost always neighbours or colleagues.

KNOWN HARASSERS

Even if you are tormented by an ex-partner or if you are subject to violent persecution perpetrated by someone you know, it is important to evaluate any kind of reaction, you must bear in mind that these are mentally unstable people, with a sense of reality that is different from normal common sense.

Harassers often become more violent upon receipt of notification that charges have been filed against them, or when somebody tries to intimidate them with threats without being able to fulfil them.

Let’s formulate some useful behavioural rules for people who wish to escape from serious cases of harassment by an ex-partner or any other kind of maniac.
If the criminal harasses you over the telephone, keep the line active with an answering machine connected and listen to his messages periodically to find out about his degree of aggressiveness.
Never answer the telephone without a telephone answering machine filter
Never answer the intercom if you are not expecting guests
Keep your official residence at an address where you don’t actually live
Keep your actual domicile a secret
Make sure that it is difficult to tell whether or not you are at home with the use of curtains, shutters and blinds.
Never leave your car parked on the street if you have a garage or always park it far from your house and in different areas
Change your habits, routes taken and times as much as possible
Try to make your harasser’s aggression towards you seem as boring as possible by studying his behaviour
Never undertake any action against your harasser unless you are certain that it will be effective. Try to create a wall between you, patiently waiting for him to get tired of harassing you.

Published on: 28 Jul 2004



This content is exclusive property of Investigazioni Octopus S.a.s and protected by copyright Laws.
Diffusion and reproduction without written permission is forbidden - Legals

<< back to the list