Bystander Intervention

Bystanders—someone in the group who is watching the situation between two Airmen and is aware the incident may escalate without intervention

Bystanders may hesitate to become directly involved in a situation as it makes them feel uncomfortable

• There is tremendous fear of negative social consequences that may come with being the challenger

It takes courage to make a difference in someone’s life and challenge negative behavior

In our Guard community it will take a courageous stand by individuals to change the climate around sexual assault

This is part of every Airmen’s core values

It is crucial to remember the responsibility is always to the greater Guard community and not to one individual who may be assisting, or paving the way to an assault

It takes one voice to make the difference—for every person who is the challenger, there are a lot more people who appreciate that the behavior has been shut down

Bystanders can take certain steps to intervene

• Consider safety
• Decide to use direct or indirect action to resolve the problem
• What options are there?
• What actions can be taken?