Everyone’s issue

How we can all help prevent sexual assault

By Lara Salahi, MS and staff reporters

All students have a role in the effort to build safer and socially comfortable campuses. Research shows that only a small number of men on campus are responsible for most of the sexual assaults. “The truth is many more men would prefer to interrupt this stuff than buy into it,” says Lee Scriggins, an expert in bystander intervention education at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Much of the time, it’s not even about preventing a potential assault. “We ask students to act when they see anyone looking even a bit uncomfortable. By making bystander intervention low-key and routine, we create a safety net that also supports mutuality and respect. Everyone has a role,” says Dr. Melanie Boyd, assistant dean of student affairs at Yale University.

It’s often easy to take effective action

Bystander intervention efforts emphasize a range of direct and indirect ways to help make sure everyone is comfortable. These include resisting other people’s derogatory comments, which signal a potentially toxic environment; creating openings for someone to extract themselves from a situation if they want to; and inserting yourself into a troubling conversation, changing the dynamic.

What you can achieve

• Active bystanders can reduce harm and establish a safer community.
• Active bystanders shift the blame away from victims and foster a sense of community responsibility.
• Active bystanders model interventions for others, who may apply similar strategies in the future.