What stops people from intervening?

It is encouraging that in 2016, nearly 25% of students at universities across Australia did take action when witnessing sexual harassment.¹ Understanding why the other 75% did not, can help us reflect on what stops us from intervening and maybe make changes going forward.

The most common reason students did not take action after witnessing another student being sexually harassed was that they did not think it was serious enough to intervene.¹ This is really important because we all have a role to play in prevention and prevention starts with shifting cultures and attitudes that condone violence and disrespect. Again, explore the Doing Nothing Does Harm website for more examples of this and ideas about ways to respond.

The most common reason students did not take action after witnessing another student being sexually assaulted was that they did not know what to do.¹ The UQ Respect website provides students and staff with all the information they need to support a survivor and report an incident.

The Bystander Effect

The bystander effect is when those witnessing a concerning situation all assume that someone else will step up and intervene, so, no one does. But when one person does intervene, others follow!

When you feel the pressure of the bystander effect, you might think, ‘Someone else will do something’ or ‘This isn’t my problem’. Remember we all have a role to play in making our UQ community a safe and respectful place and a small action can make a big difference!