Provide more funding for stalking advocates for victims of stalking
105,721 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 3 August 2021; it closed on 3 February 2022. The Government responded on 27 August 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 31 January 2022.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Provide more funding for stalking advocates for victims of stalking
The Government should provide more funding for stalking advocates for victims of stalking. This would help support victims, and should also help the police to investigate cases more thoroughly, potentially helping prevent threats to life.
Funding increased provision of stalking advocates should prevent further harm from stalkers to their victims, including death. This should help prevent unnecessary distress and suffering to victims and their families.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 27 August 2021; the petitions site lists the Home Office as responsible. Its summary:
The Government provided additional funding to stalking charities to help support victims, including funding specifically for advocacy, both this year and last.
The opening 336 words of the 676-word response:
The Government is committed to protecting and supporting victims of stalking and is determined to do everything it can to stop perpetrators at the earliest opportunity. The 2019/20 Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that 3.6% of adults aged 16-74 experienced stalking in the last year – equivalent to an estimated 1.5 million victims - 977,000 women and 526,000 men. Therefore, it is vital that there is adequate support available for victims.
In 2021-22, the Ministry of Justice will provide just under £151 million for victim and witness support services. This includes an extra £51 million to increase support for rape and domestic abuse victims; the latter can include stalking that takes place in a domestic abuse context (i.e. where the stalker is a former partner or a family member of the victim).
The Home Office provided £97,000 of funding to Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service to enable them to engage additional Independent Stalking Advocacy Caseworkers between April 2020 and March 2021 and thereby help to address the risks to victims during the coronavirus pandemic.
To help ensure victims and survivors are supported, the Home Office also part-funds the National Stalking Helpline, run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, and has recently tripled its funding, such that it will now provide up to £155,000 this year. The additional funding will, amongst other things, enable the Trust to expand its advocacy service outside London.
In addition, we have introduced the landmark Domestic Abuse Act which will bolster the response to domestic abuse on every level, strengthening protections for victims whilst also ensuring perpetrators feel the full force of the law. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 places a duty on the Government to prepare and publish a comprehensive perpetrator strategy that aims to bring more perpetrators to justice and reduce reoffending. The strategy must include the detection, investigation and prosecution of offences, assessment and management of risk (including risks associated with stalking), and how we will work to reduce the risk of individuals committing further acts of abuse.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 11,563, came from Chesterfield.
105,193 of the signatures were from the UK and 528 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Chesterfield | 11,563 |
| North East Derbyshire | 7,395 |
| Bolsover | 5,944 |
| Derbyshire Dales | 1,707 |
| Sheffield South East | 1,542 |
| Sheffield, Heeley | 1,207 |
| Amber Valley | 1,180 |
| Rother Valley | 1,153 |
| Mansfield | 939 |
| Ashfield | 927 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| East Midlands | 38,852 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 14,006 |
| South East | 9,438 |
| North West | 7,202 |
| South West | 6,776 |
| East of England | 6,363 |
| West Midlands | 5,722 |
| London | 3,712 |
| Scotland | 3,514 |
| Wales | 2,992 |
| North East | 2,500 |
| Northern Ireland | 711 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 31 January 2022. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/593769.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
2160944b868f7829… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.