NCJ Number
226031
Date Published
2008
Length
56 pages
Annotation
This booklet reviews the concept of bystander intervention and some factors that lead people to act; it considers who bystanders are and some circumstances that would motivate people to get involved in the prevention of sexual violence.
Abstract
Bystanders represent a web of people surrounding a progression of inappropriate behaviors, harassment or violence, including those who make a choice to speak up or intervene in some way and those who do not. Bystanders can have a powerful impact on sexual violence prevention. The bystander intervention approach offers opportunities to build communities and a society that does not allow sexual violence. It gives everyone in the community a specific role in preventing the community’s problem of sexual violence. This approach addresses the behaviors of others, the friends, families, teachers, clergy, and witnesses that surround any act or pattern of abuse, therefore offering an opportunity to address behaviors before sexual violence has been perpetrated. Bystander programs represent an opportunity to influence individual decisions across a variety of communities. A common goal among these programs is developing ways to increase people’s awareness of knowing when to intervene, and how to do it safely and effectively. This booklet provides an overview of the bystander intervention approach in the prevention of sexual violence, as well as relevant research, future directions, helpful tools, resources, and training activities. Bibliography