TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The most common type of harassment in New Taipei is over the phone, statistics have shown, following the enactment of the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act (跟蹤騷擾防制法) earlier this year.

The police department in the city said it has recorded 186 cases after the law came into effect in June. The top three types of harassment were telecommunications (24%), stalking (22.2%), and spying on victims (18.9%).

As for the perpetrators, strangers or friends of victims accounted for 58.6%, while current and ex-partners took up 41.4%. About 82.8% of the perpetrators were male and 86% of the victims were female.

In one instance, a security guard at a residential building took advantage of the information of a visitor to locate the victim’s social media account and send obscene messages. In another, a woman was approached in an elevator by a man, who asked for her Facebook and Line accounts, and feigned unexpected encounters with the victim.

The police urged individuals to report behaviors they deem harassing, including from ex-partners. People are also advised to keep something on them for protection, for example, pepper spray, and seek help at the omnipresent convenience stores in emergencies.