This week marks National Stalking Awareness Week, a time dedicated to highlighting the lived experiences of survivors and the changing face of harassment in the UK. As the theme for 2026 focusses on the intersection of technology and control, it is vital to look at how far we have come, and how much more dangerous the ‘shadow’ has become. By revisiting a story from 2008, we can see that while the tools of the stalker have evolved from physical presence to digital surveillance

Thirty years ago, when you left a job, moved cities, or graduated, people simply... disappeared. They became snapshots in a physical photo album, tucked away in a drawer. Your secondary school boyfriend stayed forever eighteen; your favourite colleague from 1994 remained eternally in their twenties. In that era, ‘losing touch’ was a natural part of the human experience, making space for a clean slate and a focussed present. Then came social media, and the death of the clean b

I always believed that if I could just get them through their childhood, they would be safe - that the threat of a controlling parent would dissipate at eighteen. I was wrong. What I failed to realise was that coercive control doesn't stop at adulthood; it simply evolves. This is the story of how I watched my adult children navigate the 'slow-motion collision' of a trauma bond, and how we are finally reclaiming our narrative.

It's been four and half years since my mother and I spent more than a few days in each other’s company. Nature, I learned, can do a lot