A Plea for Anti-Stalking Legislation in Ethiopia: A Human Rights Perspective

Abstract

Stalking is a global socio-legal issue that emerged prominently in the 20^th century, which is often described as ‘a steady step towards homicide or wilful injury’. From a legal viewpoint, stalking can be defined as a wilful, malicious and obsessively repeated act of following or harassing another person in juxtaposition with an intentional threat to cause harm or fear. To curb stalking, countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, for instance, have introduced anti-stalking laws into their respective legal systems. Yet, Ethiopia lacks a formalised criminal justice response to the issue of stalking, despite alarming trends in gender-based violence more broadly and stalking in particular. This reflects not an absence of the act itself, but rather a lack of developed jurisprudence on the subject within the Ethiopian context. This article, therefore, presents the need for the introduction of anti-stalking legislation into the Ethiopian legal system from a human rights perspective. This approach offers a comprehensive analysis of how anti-stalking laws align with international human rights laws and norms. In undertaking this analysis, the article endeavours to extract pertinent lessons from the jurisdictions of the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.

Keywords: Ethiopia, Gender-Based Violence, Women's Rights, Sexual Harassment, Stalking