What Is Bystander Intervention?

Here’s why it matters: in a problem situation, the average person only helps 20% of the time when others are around — and a bystander is present in about 30% of cases of rape, threat of rape, or unwanted sexual contact. It’s natural to not know what to do. But if one person gets involved, others are likely to get involved as well.

The 4 D’s of Bystander Intervention

• Direct — Directly intervening in a situation: telling someone to stop a behavior, separating people, or expressing your disapproval while it’s happening. Consider the safety level of everyone involved, including yourself.
• Distract — Distracting either the perceived victim or perpetrator: asking someone for help with directions, suggesting you go somewhere else, “I’m starving, let’s go get food!” Distraction is one of the best ways to intervene in a questionable situation, especially when you’re not totally sure what’s going on.
• Delegate — Seeking additional assistance from a third party: getting a trusted friend to assist, telling a trusted adult, or enlisting a party host to remove a problematic person. Useful when you don’t feel well-equipped to handle the situation on your own or when things become more dangerous.
• Delay — Checking in with one of the people involved afterwards: checking on the victim/survivor to see how they’re doing, or confronting the perpetrator separately. If something bad happens and you weren’t able to intervene in the moment, you are never at fault for the perpetrator’s actions.

Before stepping in, consider your safety, the safety of the target, and the anger or violence level of the harasser. It’s not about being a hero or putting yourself at risk — but it is about preventing sexual violence. And it’s better to risk being wrong about a situation than passively witnessing harassment.

Be a BAEstander: Follow the BAEcode

We’re all pretty familiar with the term bro-code, so we decided to flip it. If bro-code is having your bro’s back above all else, then BAEcode means you are committing to keeping an eye out for anyone who might need help, even if they aren’t your friend. That means: watch out for the safety of everyone, safely intervene if you see something sketchy, never pressure someone to do something sexually, always get enthusiastic consent, look out for people who have been drinking and help get them home safely, and change the conversation away from sexist or negative talk about people.

If you see something that doesn’t look or feel right, trust your gut and check in. No one can do everything — but everyone can do something.