Take Positive Action

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Step up, Speak out and make a difference

Don't be a bystander

Every person in the community has a role to play in stopping disrespectful, harmful or violent behaviour. All of us. A lot of harmful sexual behaviour is seen by heaps of people, and a lot of the time we just stand by and watch it happen.

What is the Bystander Effect?

The Bystander EffectBystander Effect
The greater the number of people watching (or walking past) when someone is being harmed or disrespected, the less likely people witnessing this event are to help the person in need. is when the more people watching a situation where harmful stuff is going on, the less likely people are to help. In 1964, Kitty Genovese was raped and stabbed to death while many people just watched. Afterwards a lot of the witnesses of her murder and rape felt very guilty about not stepping in. They all thought that someone else was going to do it. Today we call this the Bystander EffectBystander Effect
The greater the number of people watching (or walking past) when someone is being harmed or disrespected, the less likely people witnessing this event are to help the person in need. .

Instead of choosing just to keep silently standing by - Keep Safe, Step up, Speak out and be an active bystander.

Yeah, but what's an active bystander?

An active bystander is someone who sees when another person is being disrespected or harmed and chooses to step up and take positive action to make a difference. The more people are prepared to do this, the less disrespectful or violent behaviour there is likely to be in your community.

Sometimes this can be as simple as checking in with someone if you see something brewing, or it can involve getting a group of others together to step up and stop something harmful happening. However you choose to step up, always respect everyone involved, keep your own safety in mind, and of course, keep it legal too!

Keep yourself safe

Getting involved can be a risky business. Your safety must be your number one priority when it comes to Stepping up and Speaking out. NEVER Step up and Speak out if you don’t think you can do it safely. Call for help instead: if it’s an emergency call 111 for Police, Ambulance or Fire, or get a teacher, caregiver, family member, social worker, or any adult you trust to help.

Get others involved

Whenever you can, have other people with you for support. The more people there are saying something is not ok, the more powerful the message for everyone.

Think before you act

Just how you get involved will depend on each and every situation. Some of the time it will be safe for you to get involved, sometimes you’ll just know it’s too dangerous and other times you just might not be too sure.

Remember, NEVER Step up and Speak out unless you can do it safely.

Call for help instead: if it’s an emergency call 111 for Police, Ambulance or Fire, or get a teacher, caregiver, family member, social worker, or any adult you trust to help you. 

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