For a long time, Kazakhstani legislation lacked the very concept of stalking as an independent unlawful act. Even though victims frequently reported obsessive phone calls, constant surveillance, threats, and harassment, law enforcement agencies were limited in their ability to respond.

Until stalking was accompanied by death threats, bodily harm, or other criminally punishable actions, it was extremely difficult to take action against the perpetrator.

The situation changed in 2025, when stalking was criminalized and received its own legal status. The very first months of applying the new provisions showed that the problem is far more extensive than previously assumed – dozens of criminal cases were initiated, and for the first time, society began to seriously discuss stalking not as a manifestation of excessive persistence, but as a form of psychological violence.

One of the most dangerous public myths remains the belief that obsessive pursuit is proof of strong love. In popular culture, persistent courtship is often romanticized, where the hero refuses to accept rejection, constantly seeks attention, accidentally appears near the person's home or workplace, endlessly sends messages, and ultimately – in the finale of a beautiful fairy tale – wins the other's affections. In real life, such a scenario can have a completely different, and sometimes even fatal, outcome.

Stalking works differently. Its psychological foundation is not love, but the desire to regain lost control over another person. For the stalker, rejection does not mean the end of a relationship, but personal humiliation and loss of control. This is precisely why every new display of independence by the victim is perceived as a challenge that must be suppressed.

For this reason, stalking almost never stops at a single phone call or a chance encounter. It escalates progressively: first come numerous messages, then constant phone calls, surveillance, attempts to track the person's whereabouts, monitoring of social media, and pressure through relatives and friends. If this does not achieve the desired result, it may escalate to threats, property damage, and physical violence.

From the perspective of criminal psychology, the key point is this: a stalker pursues not because they love, but because they are incapable of accepting the loss of control over another person.

The most common and simultaneously one of the most dangerous types is the rejected stalker, typically a former partner who cannot accept the end of the relationship. For them, the breakup becomes a personal defeat and humiliation. Such a person continues to believe that the relationship can be restored at any cost; they are convinced they have a special right to their former partner, and they perceive rejection as a temporary misunderstanding or an act of betrayal.

Unlike the previous type, the obsessive stalker may have practically no real relationship with their target. Sometimes a chance encounter, a brief acquaintance, or a few messages on social media are enough. In such a person's mind, an imaginary love story gradually takes shape, and they genuinely convince themselves that the feelings are mutual, explaining away rejection as external circumstances, the influence of relatives, or the other person's "misunderstanding" of the situation.

The main psychological feature of the next type, the controlling stalker, is a pathological need for total control. Such a person painfully perceives any independence on the part of their partner: checking the phone, reading correspondence, constant calls demanding to know the person's whereabouts, using GPS trackers, monitoring social media and social circles – all this is perceived not as a violation of personal boundaries, but as normal care.

The vengeful stalker pursues a completely different goal – to inflict suffering. They may spread false information, publish personal photos, create fake accounts, write to the victim's employers, friends, and relatives, aiming to destroy their reputation and normal way of life. For them, it is not about restoring the relationship, but about the feeling of superiority and the satisfaction derived from the other person experiencing fear, humiliation, or helplessness. This type is the most prone to prolonged psychological terrorization and systematic harassment.

In criminal psychology, all serious crimes against a person are rarely committed impulsively. They are preceded by a gradual escalation of behavior, which experts call the ladder of violence. Each subsequent step becomes an attempt to regain lost control over the victim.

The first stage is denial of the breakup, where the stalker does not accept the end of the relationship and convinces themselves that the partner is mistaken, is under someone else's influence, or will surely change their mind. At this stage, the person does not yet perceive the rejection as final.

Then come obsessive messages and calls – letters, comments on social media. From the outside, this may look like an emotional reaction to a breakup, but it is precisely here that the pattern of stalking begins to form.

The next stage is surveillance. The stalker starts appearing near the victim's home, workplace, or educational institution, tracking routes, monitoring social media pages, and finding out their social circle. Their goal is to remain constantly present in the victim's life, even if there is no longer any contact.

After that comes control. Attempts to find out the person's whereabouts, pressure through friends and relatives, demands for explanations, access to the phone, passwords, or geolocation – all become ways of maintaining a sense of power over the other person.

If control proves impossible, the level of aggression increases. Threats emerge – first emotional blackmail, then threats to harm oneself, later threats of physical violence against the victim or their loved ones.

The next step is physical violence. It may begin with shoving, restraining, or property damage, but gradually becomes increasingly brutal.

The final stage is murder. This is not a sudden outburst of emotion, but the culmination of a prolonged process in which the perpetrator convinces themselves that they have the right to dispose of another person's life.

This is precisely why experts consider stalking one of the most significant risk factors for serious violence. Almost always, murder is preceded by a long chain of warning signs that those around tend to dismiss as jealousy, emotionality, or "excessively strong love." In reality, it is a consistent escalation of dangerous behavior.

Kazakhstani law enforcement practice has already demonstrated why a timely response to stalking is of fundamental importance. One of the first high-profile criminal cases in which stalking is being examined by the investigation alongside charges of murder is the case of Nuray Serikbay. Without delving into the details of the investigation, it is important to highlight the legal and psychological dimension of this case itself.

Kazakhstan's current legislation has already recognized stalking as an independent unlawful act. The next step must be taken by society – to stop romanticizing stalking and learn to see it not as proof of love, but as an alarming signal requiring a timely response. Perhaps it is precisely this response that will one day save someone's life.

Kazbek AKHMETOV,
Psychologist, Doctoral Candidate
at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University