Staff Writer
WHEELING City leaders are taking a united stand to support those in the community who are victimized and exploited, adopting legislation proclaiming January as both Stalking Awareness Month and Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
Members of Wheeling City Council recently adopted the two proclamations on a virtual meeting with several representatives from area support groups in attendance during the meeting, including officials from the Upper Ohio Valley Sexual Assault Help Center, the Harmony House and both the YWCA Wheeling and its Survivors of Trafficking Empowerment Program.
According to one proclamation, 7.5 million people are stalked in a one-year period in the United States, and the majority of victims are stalked by someone they know. Many Stalking victims lose time from work and experience serious psychological distress and lost productivity at a much higher rate than the general population, the action stated.