How To Be An Effective Bystander

We've all heard of the bystander effect. It is what happens when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation. More than just expecting someone else to intervene, when it comes to witnessing sexual assault or intimate partner violence, sometimes we just don't know how to intervene. However, there are many ways you can be an effective bystander, instead of a product of the bystander effect.

By being more aware of the signs of sexual harassment and abuse, and learning how to diffuse such situations and taking action when we sense something is wrong, we can change our culture. Here are different ways you can be an effective bystander and not another unfortunate result of the bystander effect:

• Watch out for the safety of everyone and not just your friends.
• Look out for people who have been drinking and make sure they get home safely.
• Change the conversation away from sexist or negative talk about people.
• Intervene if you see something sketchy--you can find subtle ways to do so by pulling the person being harassed or who may potentially be taken advantage of away from the situation. Check out this video from SafeBAE for some examples.
• Speak up when a friend of yours is showing abusive and inappropriate behavior.  Tell that person what he or she is saying or doing is not cool.  
• If a situation seems potentially dangerous/violent, call for help and call 911.  There is also an app called RapidSOS Haven that you can use to text 911 when you are unable to call.  This app has more accurate location capabilities than calling out with a mobile phone.
• Do not give into or exert peer pressure.
• Be aware of what sexual harassment can look like, including verbal, physical, cyber, and nonverbal harassment, including but not excluding the following behaviors:

Recognizing these signs can help save a life. Be like the Swedish cyclists who intervened and came to the aid of Chanel Miller when she was being raped by the Standford rapist.