Bystander intervention is a violence prevention strategy in which witnesses recognize potentially harmful situations and take action to positively influence the outcome. While the responsibility for causing harm lies solely with the perpetrators, bystanders have the opportunity to play an active role in keeping our communities safe by intervening when witnessing situations that may lead to sexual misconduct.
There are several strategies for bystander intervention. No strategy is better than any other. It is up to individuals to assess the situation and decide which strategy makes the most sense in that moment for them.
Direct
Directly address that there is something potentially harmful happening. The direct strategy can be confrontational, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be as simple as checking in with the person experiencing harm and seeing if they are okay.
Examples:
- Addressing harmful comments or jokes in the moment. This could sound like, “I don’t agree with that” or “Can you explain what’s funny about that joke?”
- Telling the person causing harm that their behavior is not appropriate. This could sound like, “They’re too drunk for that. Let’s help get them home safely.”
- Checking in with the person who is experiencing the harm to see if they need help. This could sound like, “Are you okay? Do you need some help?”
Distract
Create a distraction to defuse the situation or create an opportunity for the person being harmed to get away.
Examples:
- Pretend that you are lost and asking one of the people involved in the situation for directions on how to use the bus.
- When you notice someone seems uncomfortable, make an excuse to physically remove one of the people involved in the situation, like asking them to take a walk with you, to go get food, or play a game.
Delegate
Ask someone else to step in who, for whatever reason, might be better equipped to handle this situation. This strategy may be a good option when the situation has already escalated to physical violence.
Examples:
- Alert someone who has more authority in that space – like a bouncer, a bartender, a party host, an instructor, a supervisor – about the situation.
- Find the friends of the people involved in the situation and ask them to step in.
- Ask a coworker to make up a distraction so as to physically remove one of people involved from the situation, like asking them for help with a task.
- Call security.
- Report the situation to the Title IX Office.
Debrief
Follow up one of the people involved in the situation later to talk about what happened. This strategy may be a good option when it feels unsafe to use any of the other strategies but can also be combined with any of the other strategies.
Examples:
- Following up with a colleague after a tense staff meeting to offer support.
- Follow up privately with the person who caused the harm to explain why their actions were harmful. This could sound like, “That joke made me uncomfortable. It implied that sexual misconduct isn’t a big deal, which belittles the experience of survivors.”
- Check in with the person who experienced harm to offer support and share resources.
REMEMBER: Bystanders are strongly encouraged to prioritize their own safety when intervening. If a situation has already escalated in violence, is likely to escalate into violence, or a weapon is present, bystanders are strongly encouraged to delegate by contacting police by either calling 911 (emergency line) or 217-333-9811 (non-emergency line for campus police).
Bystanders don’t need to wait until a situation has escalated to an emergency to get involved. Intervening early in concerning situations can help prevent situations from ever rising to a crisis.
Interested in learning more about bystander intervention?
Attend a bystander intervention workshop or request a workshop for your student organization or department / office.
Sources
Banyard VL, Moynihan MM, Crossman MT. Reducing sexual violence on campus: The role of student leaders as empowered bystanders. Journal of College Student Development. 2009;50:446–457.
Bush, H.M., Bell, S.C. & Coker, A.L. Measurement of Bystander Actions in Violence Intervention Evaluation: Opportunities and Challenges. Curr Epidemiol Rep 6, 208–214 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-019-00196-3
Sanderson, Catherine Ashley. Why We Act: Turning Bystanders into Moral Rebels. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2022.