A sexual assault has consequences for the victim and the unit that are experienced long after the incident.
In some cases, sexual assault can be avoided when servicemembers take responsibility for each other and get involved when a fellow servicemember is at risk.
A bystander is someone in a crowd who sees a potentially dangerous situation and does nothing. A bystander does not protect the values of safety, trust and honor that are central to our community.
Researchers conducted an experiment in which a student pretended to have a seizure. The experimenters recorded how often others stopped to help. When only one bystander was watching the scene, the student was helped 85 percent of the time. However, if there were five bystanders, the student was only helped 31 percent of the time.
Does this make sense? Shouldn’t having more people present increase the chances that someone will get help? Amazingly, this is not the case. We all take cues from those around us about how to act in different situations. In emergency situations, many things prohibit bystanders from intervening:
• If no one else is acting, it is hard to go against the crowd.
• People may feel that they are risking embarrassment. (“What if I’m wrong and they don’t need help?”)
• They may think there is someone else in the group who is more qualified to help.
• They may think that the situation does not call for help, since no one else is doing anything.
With each person taking cues from people around them, a common result is that no one does anything to help. Avoid being a bystander! Intervene regardless of what others are doing and don’t be worried about being wrong; it is better to be wrong than to have done nothing at all.
Stopping sexual assault in the military community requires every servicemember’s involvement.
So what can you do? Learn how to recognize indications of potentially dangerous situations. Here are some examples of “red flag” behaviors related to sexual assault:
• Inappropriate touching or disregarding set boundaries
• Suggestive remarks
• Inappropriate intimacy
• Attempts to isolate someone
• Pressuring someone to drink
• Violent behaviors
• Targeting someone who is visibly impaired
If a situation makes us uncomfortable, we may try to dismiss it as not being a problem. You may tell yourself that the other person will be fine, that he or she is not as intoxicated as you think or that the person is able to defend him/herself.
This is not a solution! The person may need your help more than you think. When in doubt, trust your gut. Instincts are there for a reason. When a situation makes us feel uncomfortable, it is generally a good indicator that something is not right. It is better to be wrong about the situation than do nothing. You have the responsibility to intervene.
When you fail to act, you condone the bad behavior. It is your responsibility to act as a member of the military community. You would not abandon a fellow warfighter on the battlefield. Would you not assist off the battlefield, too? You have the skills to act!
• Watch out for other members of the military community.
• Come up with a plan beforehand.
• Talk to your friends about how they would want you to intervene if they are in an uncomfortable situation.
• Choose the intervention strategy that is best for the situation.
• Take a breath and make your move.
• Get support from someone in charge, when possible.
For more information on bystander intervention, contact your KMC SARCs at: Army 493-4148 and Air Force 480-SARC (7272).
(Courtesy of KMC Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program)
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A sexual assault has consequences for the victim and the unit that are experienced long after the incident.
In some cases, sexual assault can be avoided when servicemembers take responsibility for each other and get involved when a fellow servicemember is at risk.
A bystander is someone in a crowd who sees a potentially dangerous situation and does nothing. A bystander does not protect the values of safety, trust and honor that are central to our community.
Researchers conducted an experiment in which a student pretended to have a seizure. The experimenters recorded how often others stopped to help. When only one bystander was watching the scene, the student was helped 85 percent of the time. However, if there were five bystanders, the student was only helped 31 percent of the time.
Does this make sense? Shouldn’t having more people present increase the chances that someone will get help? Amazingly, this is not the case. We all take cues from those around us about how to act in different situations. In emergency situations, many things prohibit bystanders from intervening:
• If no one else is acting, it is hard to go against the crowd.
• People may feel that they are risking embarrassment. (“What if I’m wrong and they don’t need help?”)
• They may think there is someone else in the group who is more qualified to help.
• They may think that the situation does not call for help, since no one else is doing anything.
With each person taking cues from people around them, a common result is that no one does anything to help. Avoid being a bystander! Intervene regardless of what others are doing and don’t be worried about being wrong; it is better to be wrong than to have done nothing at all.
Stopping sexual assault in the military community requires every servicemember’s involvement.
So what can you do? Learn how to recognize indications of potentially dangerous situations. Here are some examples of “red flag” behaviors related to sexual assault:
• Inappropriate touching or disregarding set boundaries
• Suggestive remarks
• Inappropriate intimacy
• Attempts to isolate someone
• Pressuring someone to drink
• Violent behaviors
• Targeting someone who is visibly impaired
If a situation makes us uncomfortable, we may try to dismiss it as not being a problem. You may tell yourself that the other person will be fine, that he or she is not as intoxicated as you think or that the person is able to defend him/herself.
This is not a solution! The person may need your help more than you think. When in doubt, trust your gut. Instincts are there for a reason. When a situation makes us feel uncomfortable, it is generally a good indicator that something is not right. It is better to be wrong about the situation than do nothing. You have the responsibility to intervene.
When you fail to act, you condone the bad behavior. It is your responsibility to act as a member of the military community. You would not abandon a fellow warfighter on the battlefield. Would you not assist off the battlefield, too? You have the skills to act!
• Watch out for other members of the military community.
• Come up with a plan beforehand.
• Talk to your friends about how they would want you to intervene if they are in an uncomfortable situation.
• Choose the intervention strategy that is best for the situation.
• Take a breath and make your move.
• Get support from someone in charge, when possible.
For more information on bystander intervention, contact your KMC SARCs at: Army 493-4148 and Air Force 480-SARC (7272).
(Courtesy of KMC Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program)