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Bystander Intervention

Shifting Social Culture and Keeping Each Other Safe.

U of R is BADASS! Being Aware, Deciding to Act, and Saying Something!

the University of Rochester's BADASS Bystander logo, that reads BADASS Bystander. Being Aware, Deciding to Act, Saying Something in orange, pink, green, and blue.
Bystander Intervention and Harm Reduction

Everyone has a role to play in preventing harm or violence and there are many different ways you can step up to make a difference as a bystander. By focusing on prevention and direct action, bystander intervention seeks to create a culture where harmful behaviors are less likely to occur and more likely to be addressed when they do. Bystander intervention encourages the recognition of one’s ability to positively influence the outcome, either by directly intervening, seeking help from others, or utilizing resources to support those involved. This proactive role shifts the bystander from a passive witness to an empowered participant working towards a safer and more inclusive environment.

It is important to determine as a bystander whether there is a safe and reasonable way to intervene, and to act in a way to assist a person whether it is before, during, or after an incident takes place. By intervening in the moment, bystanders may give the concerned person a chance to get to a safe place or leave a situation.

First things first – be safe. Take action only if you feel that it is safe to do so. Determine what actions you feel comfortable taking based on the situation. Choose the best method to intervene based on the circumstances, including your own personal safety.

Steps to effective bystander intervention:

  1. Notice the situation
    • Be aware of your surroundings
    • Anticipate problems/look for red flags
    • Consider the best intervention strategies and the best exit strategies
  2. Interpret the behavior as a problem
    • Check to see if others appear unconcerned
    • Ask others what they think
    • Be mindful of peer pressure and prepare to react to it
  3. Feel responsible to act
    • See yourself as being part of the solution to help
    • Publicly state your intention to help and enlist others to help
  4. Know what to do (or not do)
    • Scroll down and learn more about the skills you can learn to intervene safely and effectively!
    • Learn and practice these skills when possible
  5. Act using one of the 5D methods: Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay, Document
    • If it is safe and you are willing to help, implement the most appropriate skills and strategies = BADASS!

Use one of the 5D Methods to Intervene

The 5Ds are different methods – Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay, Document– that you can use to support someone who’s being harassed or harmed, emphasize that harassment is not okay, and demonstrate to people in your life that they have the power to make community safer.

Anyone can use the 5Ds! They are designed to be safe and not to escalate situations. In fact, four of them are indirect methods of intervention.

Direct: Intervene directly with the involved people, alerting them to the problematic comments or actions. Speak up about the disrespectful behavior when it’s happening and try to keep it short and succinct. Be confident, assertive, and calm. Avoid engaging in dialogue, debate, or an argument. Focus your attention on assisting the person who was harmed.

Distract: Take an indirect approach to derail and de-escalate the situation. Distract either party to interrupt a situation. Distraction is a subtle and creative way to intervene. The key to distraction is to ignore the person who is harassing, and engage directly with the person who is being harassed by talking about something completely unrelated.

Delegate: Bring in someone else to help. This could be someone who may be in a better position to help with the situation, someone who knows the affected parties, or someone with more perceived authority. When you delegate someone to help you, try to tell them as clearly as possible what you’re witnessing and how you’d like them to help.

Delay: If you can’t intervene in the moment, check in later. Bystanders can reach out to those affected to link them with resources or offer emotional support.

Document: Record the interaction on your phone, take a photo of the individual causing harm, or write notes about what occurred. Afterwards, ask the person who experienced harm what they would like to do with the documentation. Although it can be helpful to document harassment, we also want to assess and ensure the person receiving harm is being helped — if they’re not, use another of the 5Ds to intervene.

Bystander Intervention Strategies and Examples

Each “D” intervention style serves a unique purpose in navigating and neutralizing a potentially volatile situation. Everyone has a role to play in preventing harm or violence and there are many different ways you can step up to make a difference as a bystander.

Intervening in situations may feel difficult, but here are some strategies you can use:

DIRECT Intervention Examples:

  • You can address the individual in jeopardy directly: “Are you okay?“, “Do you need help?”, “Would you like me to stay with you?”,  “Who did you come here with?“, or “Would you like to get out of here and go somewhere safe?”.
  • You could also address the harm doer: “I did not find that joke to be funny“, “leave them alone“, “please stop right now“, “that’s inappropriate”, “that’s disrespectful”, “that’s not okay“, “that’s harassment“.

DISTRACT Intervention Examples:

  • Change the topic of conversation “Can you tell me when the next team meeting is?” (loudly drop a book).
  • Physically create a distraction like spilling a drink or make a loud unexpected noise or sound.
  • Change the activity or the location of an activity, such as bringing out fresh food or drinks and offer them to everyone at the party or event, including the people you are concerned about.
  • Start an activity that draws other people in, like a game, showing everyone a funny video, or starting a dance party.
  • Pretend to be lost and ask the person being harassed to give you directions. Ask them for the time. Pretend you know the person being harassed and act excited to have “randomly” run into them.

DELEGATE Intervention Examples:

  • Ask other people around you to help you intervene in the moment: “My coworker is being verbally abused, can you help me get them out of the situation?”.
  • Ask someone to come with you to approach the person receiving harm. When it comes to expressing concern, sometimes there is power in numbers. Work together to come up with a plan to intervene.
  • Enlist the friend of the person you’re concerned about. “Your friend looks like they’ve had a lot to drink. Can you check on them?”.
  • Sometimes the safest way to intervene is to enlist an authority figure like a resident assistant, supervisor, bartender, or bouncer. This option will allow you to have others on your side and can offer additional safety from the perpetrator.

DELAY Intervention Examples:

  • Approach colleagues or your peers to ask if there are ways you can support them if they seem to be experiencing harassment.
  • Ask “Hey, are you okay?” and let them know you saw what happened and it wasn’t okay.
  • Offer to accompany them to their destination or sit with them for a while.
  • Share resources with them and offer to help them make a report if they want to.

DOCUMENT Intervention Examples:

  • Provide a straightforward written summary of the who, what, where, when if you witnessed the conduct or problematic behavior.
  • If you recorded the incident or have photographs, always ask the impacted person what they’d like you to do with it. Do not post it publicly or share it without their permission and consent.

A note about safety: The goal of Bystander Intervention is to help others while not getting yourself hurt. Always prioritize safety, and consider possibilities that are unlikely to put you or anyone else in harm’s way.

Suggestions for Helpful Bystander Actions & Harm Reduction

While victim-blaming is never appropriate and the University of Rochester fully recognizes that only those who commit sexual assault or relationship abuse are responsible for their actions, the University provides the following suggestions to help members of the campus community reduce their risk of being victimized and their risk of committing sexual misconduct.

Do’s
  • Make any limits and/or boundaries you may have known as early as possible.
  • Remove yourself, if possible, from an aggressor’s physical presence.
  • Trust your gut. If a situation or location feels unsafe or uncomfortable, it may be time to leave.
  • Take steps utilizing the 5D’s to stop a friend who chooses to use violence.
  • Recognize if a friend is in a relationship that involves fear or physical pain by voicing your concerns where appropriate, and assist them in getting help.
  • Take affirmative responsibility for your alcohol and/or drug consumption, understanding that alcohol consumption increases vulnerability for sexual violence.
  • Plan safety precautions ahead of time with your friends prior to going to a social event or a new location.
  • When you go to a social gathering, go with a group of friends, arrive together, check-in with each other throughout the evening and leave together. Knowing where you are and who is around you may help you to find a way out of a bad situation.
  • Look out for your friends and ask them to look out for you. Respect them, and ask them to respect you, but be willing to challenge each other about high-risk choices.
  • Remember that you are not obligated to do anything you do not want to do or be nice to someone who is scaring you or is making you uncomfortable. “I don’t want to” is always a good enough reason. Do what feels right to you and what you are comfortable with.
Don'ts
  • Avoid being isolated with someone you do not trust or someone you do not know if you can.
  • Do not leave your drink unattended while talking, dancing, using the restroom or making a phone call. If you have left your drink alone, just get a new one.
  • Be thoughtful about accepting drinks from people you don’t know or trust. If you choose to accept a drink:
    • Go with the person to the bar to order it, watch it being poured and carry it yourself.
    • At parties, do not drink from the punch bowls or other large, common open containers.
  • Don’t let someone leave with a stranger. Even if you are helping someone you don’t know – call 911 or the Department of Public Safety. Help them call a cab or ride-share from their own phone.

  • Don’t escalate the situation.
  • Don’t remain silent or stand by if there is something you can safely do to intervene.
  • Don’t assume someone else has taken action to intervene.
Tips on how to Create Consent Culture!
  • Show your potential partner respect if you are in a position of initiating sexual behaviors.
  • If they say “no,” accept it and don’t push. If you want a yes, ask for it, and don’t proceed without clear permission.
  • Communicate your intentions to your potential sexual partner clearly and give that person a chance to share their intentions, expectations, and/or boundaries with you.
  • Respect personal and sexual boundaries. If you are unsure what’s okay in any interaction, ask.
  • Avoid ambiguity. Just ask. Don’t make assumptions about consent, about whether someone is attracted to you, how far you can go with that person, or if the individual is physically and mentally able to consent. If you have questions or are unclear, you don’t have consent.
  • Don’t take advantage of the fact that someone may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, even if that person chose to drink or use drugs. Their loss of control does not put you in control.
  • Be on the lookout for mixed messages. That should be a clear indication to stop and talk about what your potential partner wants or doesn’t want to happen. They may be undecided about how far to go with you, or you may have misread a previous signal.
  • Respect the timeline for sexual behaviors with which others are comfortable and understand that everyone is entitled to change their minds.
  • Recognize that even if you don’t think you are intimidating in any way, your potential partner may be intimidated by or fearful of you, perhaps because of your sex, physical size, or a position of power or authority you may hold.
  • Do not assume that someone’s silence or passivity is an indication of consent. Pay attention to both verbal and non-verbal signals to avoid misreading intentions.
  • Understand that consent to one type of sexual behavior does not automatically grant you consent to other types of sexual behaviors. If you are unsure, stop and ask.
  • If your partner indicates a need to stop, or withdraws consent, respect them. Immediately.
  • If you’ve had consent with your partner previously, still check in with them. Just because something was okay with them before doesn’t mean it will be okay in the future.

Where did the 5Ds come from? In 2012, Right To Be partnered with the bystander program Green Dot, who pioneered the Three Ds of bystander intervention, Distract, Delegate, and Direct. Right To Be worked with Green Dot to develop tools to help people intervene when they saw harassment happen. In 2015, they expanded those to include Delay, and in 2017 they expanded them again to include Document.