Bystander Awareness Month
By: Louisenie Remy
Community Health Educator, Roxcy Bolton Rape Treatment Center
This month, Roxcy Bolton Rape Treatment Center (RTC) at Jackson Memorial Medical Center is educating our community on bystander intervention. During National Bystander Awareness Month, people are encouraged to be active bystanders, and to challenge and speak out against harmful social norms, recognize the warning signs, and prevent and interrupt situations that could lead to violence.
One of the most significant barriers to intervening in potentially violent situations is not knowing what to do. Empowering ourselves with intervention tips and strategies allows us to understand how to intervene safely, and play an active role in ending domestic violence and sexual assault.
It may not always be safe or practical to confront the harasser directly. Nevertheless, there is a range of ways bystanders can be involved before, during, or after a situation when they see or hear behaviors that promote sexual violence.
Every violent situation is different. It can occur at work, in public spaces, in schools, and online. Most of us have an online presence and can help prevent sexual violence on social media. When you see online comments that encourage rape culture and sexual violence, you can intervene by responding to victim-blaming remarks, and support the survivors in your reply by thanking them for sharing and refocusing the accountability on the perpetrator who committed the sexual assault.
While some behaviors, such as sexist jokes, inappropriate sexual comments, and vulgar gestures, aren’t illegal, it does not make them any less threatening. It can be harmful to the person experiencing the behavior. To be an active bystander, you must embrace your voice and speak out against harmful social norms.
Here are some tips and strategies to help you become an engaged bystander during National Bystander Awareness Month:
Learn how to distract, delegate, and direct:
1. DISTRACT: Distract the harasser or the target with a conversation unrelated to the harassment to derail and de-escalate the situation.
- Tips: Ask for directions; spill your drink “accidentally.”
2. DELEGATE: Bring in a third party to help, possibly someone with more perceived authority.
- Tips: Alert a store manager, bus driver, club bouncer, or someone else to help intervene. Do not call the police unless requested.
3. DIRECT: Directly address the situation to de-escalate, either by addressing the person causing harm or supporting the person being harmed.
- Tips: Approach them and ask the person being harmed if everything is okay, “Excuse me, is everything alright?”
- Tips: Call out the behavior and ask the person doing harm to stop, “I think she has had enough to drink.”
During National Bystander Awareness Month, RTC encourages you to be proactive in becoming an active bystander by practicing with friends and family how to react in a situation where you can intervene. Lastly, take the initiative to help friends avoid potentially violent situations that could lead to sexual assault, and share the 3Ds of bystander intervention.
If you or someone you know have been sexually assaulted, please do not hesitate to contact the Roxcy Bolton Rape Treatment Center. We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to serve sexual assault victims and their non-offending family members. All services are free of charge and completely confidential. 24/7 Crisis and Sexual Assault Helpline: 305-585-RAPE (7273)
References:
Bystander intervention toolkit. American Friends Service Committee. (n.d.). https://afsc.org/bystander-intervention-toolkit
NSVRC tip sheet bystander intervention tips and strategies. (n.d.). https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2018-02/publications_nsvrc_tip-sheet_bystander-intervention-tips-and-strategies_1.pdf