Half of people who were stalked or harassed did not go to gardaí, according to new research into stalking in Ireland.
The study, which was carried out by researchers at University College Cork, said that a fear of not being believed or taken seriously meant that over 50% of people who suffered harassment and stalking did not go to gardaí.
And while 42% of people did report incidents, experiences were said to be more negative than positive.
However, key features of positive experiences included being believed, being taken seriously and having the report followed up.
Respondents to the survey reported being threatened, physically attacked and sexually assaulted.
They also said they received inappropriate texts, WhatsApps or emails, while a high proportion were also the target of inappropriate social media contact.
In the majority of cases, perpetrators of stalking or harassment were known to the victims, however the research also found that in a considerable proportion of cases, the perpetrator was categorised as a stranger.
Over two fifths of respondents indicated that the perpetrators threatened to harm them or those close to them, directly or indirectly.
Having pictures or recordings taken without consent was mentioned 270 times, with 170 reports of private images of a very personal nature being shared.
Respondents reported significant financial impacts and said they suffered long-term psychological distress.
More than 1,000 participants responded to the survey and the report is based on the responses of 892 individuals.
The research was prompted by experiences of Una Ring and Eve McDowell, who have both spoken about being stalked and who advocated for the introduction of a new stalking offence in addition to existing the harassment offence.
One of the report's authors, Dr Ciara Staunton, said the findings "identify a range of avoidance behaviours used by victims to protect themselves and reveals the social, financial, physical, and psychological consequences of stalking and harassment".
The report makes ten recommendations, including the need for an information campaign on stalking and harassment, improvements in training in An Garda Síochána and changes to the proposed new wording of Stalking Offences.
Another of the report's authors said that one of the things that makes stalking and harassment such a difficult experience in terms of reporting is that it takes a multitude of forms.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Catherine O'Sullivan said: "There are certain common behaviours, like loitering, following someone … digital harassment, surveillance and so on.
"But it really is a behaviour that takes many, many forms."
She said that one of the recommendations that came out of responses from respondents is that gardaí need training on the nature of the harms of stalking and harassment.
"And it fits with international research. Those who report experience of stalking and harassment often described not being believed, being victim blamed their experiences being trivialised and not being treated sympathetically.
"And we find the exact same experiences being reported by our respondents."
Dr O'Sullivan added: "We found that quite a number of our respondents didn't report because they didn't appreciate what had happened to them was actually a crime, currently a crime under the offence of harassment."
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The research was undertaken in partnership with the Sexual Violence Centre Cork (SVCC) which leads the Stalking in Ireland support service.
Welcoming its publication, CEO of the SVCC Mary Crilly said Ireland was currently "a paradise for stalkers" and highlighted the absence of legislation making it a standalone offence.
Ms Crilly said the fact that this is the first research of its kind into Irish people's experiences of stalking and harassment "tells you everything".
"We really do welcome the research because it is shining a light on stalking in Ireland," Ms Crilly said.
Ms Crilly echoed calls for a nationwide awareness campaign about stalking and harassment.
"People need to know what stalking is, about the implications and the impact it has on people and it needs to be taken very seriously and that can only be done by a huge national awareness campaign," Ms Crilly said.
Stalking survivor and campaigner Una Ring said this research was "badly needed".
Ms Ring said it was only when she and fellow survivor Eve McDowell began campaigning on the issue that they realised "how prevalent it was out there".
"We were just inundated with messages from people looking for information, looking for help," Ms Ring said.
Last year the Government predicted that the legislation they campaigned for which, would see stalking introduced as a standalone offence, would become law by last autumn but that did not happen.
"We have been told that it will be made into law before the summer recess and that's what we're hoping for," Ms Ring said.
The Department of Justice has confirmed that the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill is expected to reach Dáil Report stage on 29 March, and after that it will progress to the Seanad.
"There is still work to be done once the legislation is passed," Ms Ring said, citing in particular training for gardaí and adequate funding for support services.
Ms Ring said that while she had a "very good experience with the guards," she had "physical evidence" which included graffiti, letters and later CCTV footage of the perpetrator.
She advised anyone who is being stalked to "make a log" of their experiences which would help gardaí in any investigation.
This advice is also reflected in the report's recommendations.
It suggests that, as part of a Government-led awareness campaign those experiencing stalking and/or harassment should be advised "to document and record all incidents to establish evidence of a pattern of repeated behaviour should they decide to report to An Garda Síochána".
