by Tehan Dukaye, Sexual Violence Prevention Coordinator
When someone witnesses another person experiencing sexual harassment or potential sexual violence as a bystander, they typically have the choice to do one of the following: do nothing, join in on the harassment, or help in some way to protect the person being harmed. While it can be difficult to intervene when coming across abusive behavior, especially as a student on a college campus, this guide will go over how students can act as an effective bystander while keeping both themselves and others safe.
What is Bystander Intervention?
Bystander intervention is the act of recognizing, stopping or de-escalating unwanted behaviors, abuse, violence, or harassment. The goal of intervening as a bystander is to ensure the safety of all involved.
What are the 5D’s of Bystander Intervention?
The 5Ds of Bystander Intervention are five different methods identified by Right to Be that someone can use when witnessing an act of harassment. They are: Direct, Distract, Delegate, Document, and Delay. A person who acts as a bystander is able to use any of the five interventions that best fit the situation and their comfort level.
Direct
One option a bystander can choose when witnessing someone being harassed is directly addressing or confronting the person causing the harm and de-escalating the situation. However, it is important to ask yourself: Is direct involvement safe for me and the person being harassed or will directly intervening make it more dangerous for either myself or the other person?
If you do decide to intervene, ensure that you make it short to avoid further escalation. Some examples of this include:
Remember that your safety and the safety of the person being harassed is still a priority and that if using the Direct method is not ideal, there are other ways to stop harassment and sexual violence.
Distract
You can also stop potential harm by drawing the harasser's attention away from the person they are targeting. However, you do not need to engage the individual who is harassing the other person. This can look like asking the person being harassed a question or making a comment unrelated to what is happening. This can also look like dropping something loud, spilling your drink or plate of food if you are at a party, asking for directions if you are out in public, or turning the lights on and off if you are indoors. There are many other ways to use distraction as a tool, but the main goal is to interrupt the harm without directly confronting the person doing the harassing.
Delegate
Bystanders can bring in those around them to help de-escalate the incident. These can be people you know or strangers. When asking others to help, they must be willing to do so. Let them know what you’ve witnessed and how they can de-escalate. Depending on where you are witnessing the harassment, you can also get the attention of someone in an authority role such as a teacher, security guard, parent, bus driver, store manager, or bartender and inform them of the situation.
Document
Documenting the incident is another useful way a bystander can support the person being harassed because it records the incident taking place. Documentation of the incident can be helpful in case the person who was harmed decides they want to make a report. Before you document, assess the situation to determine how you or someone else is able to intervene using the other types of bystander intervention before you start documenting the sexual harassment or abuse. Most importantly, inform the victim that you documented the incident and ask what they want to do with your recording, photos, or notes of the situation. Never publicly share the documentation without their permission. Doing so may retraumatize the person who experienced sexual harm. You can view this video on how to document an incident as a bystander.
Delay
You can check in with the victim after the incident. Some ways you can do this are:
Remember, there is no one way to intervene, but safely addressing or stopping an act of sexual harassment or abuse, whether directly or indirectly, is a great prevention tool against sexual violence. A community that protects one another is a community that creates a safe environment for all.
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