Bystander Intervention Strategies
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
The Five Ds are methods you can use to:
- Support someone who is being harassed.
- Emphasize that harassment is NOT OK.
- Demonstrate to people that they too have the power to make our community safer.
A note about safety: We don’t ever want you to get hurt trying to help someone. Always think about safety and consider possibilities that are unlikely to put you or anyone else in harm’s way.
YOU ARE POWERFUL
Remember, everyone can do something. At this time in our history, it is even more important that we show up for one another as active bystanders. Research shows that even a knowing glance can significantly reduce trauma for the person who is targeted. One of the most important things we can do is to let the person who is targeted know, in some way, however big or small, that they are not alone.
DELAYING
Occurs if you can’t act in the moment. You can make a difference for the person who has been harassed by checking in on them after the fact.
DISTRACTING
A subtle and creative way to intervene. The aim is simply to derail the incident by interrupting it.
DELEGATING
Ask for a resource or help from a third party like another bystander or someone in a position of authority.
DIRECTING
Includes directly responding to harassment by naming what is happening or confronting the harasser. First assess the safety risk in doing this.
DOCUMENTING
It is helpful to record an incident as it happens to someone, but there are a number of things to keep in mind to safely and responsibly document harassment. ALWAYS ask the person who has been harassed what they want to do with the recording.
SCCAR provides Bystander Intervention tips cards free of charge. To request cards for yourself or your business or organization, or if you would like SCCAR to make a presentation on this subject, email shasta.sccar@gmail.com.