He knows where she is.

At 11pm, her phone lights up.

Fifteen messages. One after another. It won’t stop there. 

Each message is a variation of the same threats and pleas. Something that once seemed like love now feels suffocating and sinister.

She doesn’t block the number. She’s learned that silence can be more frightening than noise. At least when the messages come, she knows he’s focused on his phone.

That’s what it has come to: just trying to stay one step ahead.

By the time women reach Shine, the stalking has often been happening for months, sometimes years. 

Years of checking the rear-view mirror, changing phone numbers, bank accounts, passwords and locks. Years of him showing up at work. Years of isolation from family and friends for fear of him targeting them, too.

Years of frayed nerves and constant hypervigilance. 

Please help these women reclaim their safety, their lives and wellbeing. 

Shared custody makes it even harder.

Stalkers use their children to access their ex-partners. Phones and tablets given to children are used for tracking. Shine’s advocates say safety planning is difficult when a child is manipulated into worrying about their dad’s wellbeing and used to get information.

Children become caught in the middle – withdrawing, protecting their family, trying to manage a situation no child should face.

The personal cost is enormous.

Our advocates report supporting women who are sleep deprived, overwhelmed and hopeless. 

“They are living in a state of high anxiety, hyper-alert for sounds like cars and message notifications. They’re afraid for their safety if they leave the house. Fear of their stalker putting friends and family in a ‘bad situation’ forces them to isolate. Having already suffered at the hands of their abusers, they are now being further victimised.

“Never has it been so easy to track someone’s physical movements through devices and apps - or to harm someone through impersonation, sharing intimate photos etc. 

“Never has it been so easy to watch and intrude into a person’s life through messages, emails and social media – including that of friends, family and interest groups.”

Your gift today will help Shine make her safer by:

• Raising awareness of stalking and how to get help
• Providing digital and physical safety advice and planning
• Helping her report the stalking to the police 
• Referring her to refuge if she is in immediate danger
• Applying for a home security upgrade on her behalf
• Arranging legal support and helping her navigate the legal system
• Arranging counselling and healthcare
• Advocating for her where the stalker has harmed her reputation, (for example, at work and her children’s school)
• Supporting her children through what they are experiencing

And much more.