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Ending Blog: Together we could have the greatness to change history
Dear Engaged Bystander: For more than a year, I have focused this bystander blog on preventing sexual violence. As I complete this last blog entry, I hope to offer an equally compelling argument for us to extend bystander intervention AFTER the abuse has been perpetrated.
When someone discloses sexual abuse, the people around them often respond in fear and in anger. If it is their child, family or friend who is victimized, that anger can turn to rage. If we read or hear about the trauma but we don’t know the victim, then our response may be to isolate ourselves from the people and the pain with the singular thought of “keeping myself, my child, my friends, my family safe”.
How do fear, anger and rage help us listen to what a victim needs? How does our rage help us do whatever is necessary to keep the victim safe? (I do recognize that it does help to create public policy…) Although the anger and rage may feel right, are they really helpful in our attempts to hold someone accountable for their actions? It is hard to be truly vigilant when we are enraged. And the isolation created by “keeping myself, my family and my child safe” may be our first instinctive response, but we can’t stop there. If we do, listen to the rest of the sentence: “I don’t care as much about YOUR child, or your friend, as long as mine is safe...” It sends the message that we were powerless to prevent the abuse and equally powerless to stop any future abuse. That is NOT a message I want to send to anyone.
During one of my workshops, a leader in the tribal community compassionately said to me, “The problem with you white people is that you would cut off your head if you could do get rid of a headache. You can’t do that with headaches and you can’t do that with sex offenders. They are a part of our community.” I will never forget these words and I still struggle in a good way with how to apply them in my own communities.
I KNOW that our first response must always protect the victim. But if we stop there, it is clearly not enough. Like a stone that is thrown into a pond, we need to follow the ripples outward. We need to take a systemic look at a situation which means that we need to not only protect the victim, but we also need to ensure that each victim has the resources to heal.
Following the ripples outward, we need to hold the abuser accountable for his or her actions AND we need ensure that when he or she returns to the community has the resources to integrate safely back into that community. This has been a huge failure in our society, especially when the person who abuses is a child or adolescent. But to ensure safety for the victim, the abuser and the community we need to understand the risk factors and protective factors of those who abuse and how to create effective safety plans for abusers, families, institutions and communities. How many of us have taken the time to understand those who abuse – especially the children and teens who abuse? I believe that it is through this understanding that we can learn how to protect those we love. If you have not looked at the research or talked with someone who works with sex offenders, then consider taking on that responsibility.
Where to find it? Some great places to begin are the NSVRC fact sheet, the Center for Sex Offender Management and the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. I also co-write through NEARI Press a monthly fact sheet about adolescents who are sexually abusive that highlights the most current research .
Continuing to follow the ripples outwards, we, as bystanders, need to look at our responsibilities to help our communities heal. I have heard so many stories where people who do something, even just acknowledge a survivor’s experience 40 years later can have a huge impact on healing. Unfortunately, there are very few models and resources for community healing and this is critical to our movement. If we can imagine and safely implement a variety of responses to sexual abuse that range from prison to lifetime probation to returning safely into job, home and community we will empower the community to keep ourselves and our community safe. We are not helpless in the face of sexual violence. But to do this, we need to have a VERY different response to:
- a 12-year old who sexually abuses a younger sibling or
- a 15-year old arrested for sexting or
- an 18-year old convicted of statutory rape after consensual sex with his girlfriend or
- the 25-year old who is downloading child pornography or
- the 30-year old who rapes his girlfriend or
- the 40-year old who sexually abuses multiple children.
We also need to be sure that our response is both immediate and long term. To me, this is the role that bystanders need to take on. We feel the impact and can affect change for years after the abuse is perpetrated. We are not helpless in the face of sexual violence and we need to stay involved from the point of prevention, through a disclosure of sexual abuse to a place of healing in the community. There are a few models of this kind of accountability and safety in the community, but they do exist. If you have not yet read about Circles of Support and Accountability or the incredible response of the First Nation of Canada in Hollow Water, please take the time to read about these.
I know you know this, but if we accept the fact that we all are affected by a sexual assault then we also need to take on the responsibility of finding a path of safety for everyone in the community. If we, as bystanders, stay connected to the victim, the abuser and everyone in their families and circles of friends then ALL of us are safer.
With this blog ending, please take the time, today, this week to try to challenge yourself to be a more active bystander. It might mean reading some of these resources or choosing to offer help to someone at the supermarket checkout line. Robert Kennedy said “Few of us have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of the events and in the total of all those acts, will be written the history of our generation."
I will miss writing this blog and the chance to interact so please keep in touch. And with the works of Bobby Kennedy in mind, I know that together, we will make our homes, communities and society a safer place for those we love.
Warmly
joan
PS Thanks to Becky Palmer, a friend and colleague who offered some fabulous ideas for this blog and always wonderful conversation. Becky works with both survivors and offenders at Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers and is on the Board of Directors of ATSA.
An Interview with Jackson Katz - Part II
Dear Engaged Bystander: This is Part II of my interview with Jackson Katz
Joan: What is your vision for creating that institutional change?
Jackson: I recognize that I am using a very broad definition for bystander engagement: ANYONE who has peers, friends or colleagues, or anyone who plays a leadership role in a social group or institutional setting – which means virtually EVERYBODY. What is required is not just individual but institutional change. This is beginning to happen in the military. MVP has been doing bystander-focused prevention training in the military for 14 years, and it is exciting that now all four major branches of the U.S. military have decided to employ bystander programming system-wide to prevent sexual and domestic violence. For example, by the summer of 2012 the Air Force has mandated that all personnel at every level need to go through what they’re calling Bystander Intervention Training. This training includes examining and interrupting behaviors on an abuse continuum, and also includes elements of media literacy education.
That level of commitment represents an institutional shift. It is promising in part because of the potential impact this can have in the larger culture. Just like the MVP program’s initial strategy of targeting men in athletics, men in the military have a kind of elevated status in parts of male culture, and it is possible to leverage that status to make speaking out about sexism and sexist abuse more normal and acceptable among men. When men with traditional masculine authority speak out it gives all of us more credibility – especially with men who are skeptical. When the New England Patriots, the Marine Corps or the U.S. Army does bystander training, average guys can’t as easily write it off as “pc” posturing or anti-male propaganda. At the same time, women in the military play an increasingly important role both in and outside of the military in redefining femininity, and bystander training helps them develop skills that can have a powerful effect in the service and beyond.
Joan: How do you see this affecting those who are not in the military?
Jackson: When President Harry Truman signed an executive order in 1948 that racially integrated the military, it was part of – and had a tremendous impact on -- the emerging civil rights movement. Recently, I participated in a U.S. Army Summit on Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention in Washington DC. Many key military leaders were there, including the Army Chief of Staff and the Sergeant Major of the Army, who gave keynote addresses. What the military is doing today in this area is really ahead of the curve. There is nothing in the civilian world of this scope and magnitude. Imagine what it would be like for some of the largest corporations or religious organizations to gather together for this kind of summit and make this kind of commitment. It really is pretty amazing. We need to encourage and pressure civilian institutions – especially schools – to study what the military is doing and take ideas from them.
Joan: How do you see changes in technology affecting our work in coming years?
Jackson: New technologies provide new opportunities – both good and bad. And those of us who do bystander work need of course to integrate the new technologies of communication and social interaction into our conception of the role of the bystander. One scenario we use in MVP is as follows. You are a young man sitting alone in your room, and you receive a text from a friend with a sexually explicit photo attached of his former girlfriend. No one else is in the room, but you are still a bystander -- to an abusive act by your friend, who’s sent this picture without her knowledge or consent. What do you do? People generally agree that if you decide to send the text to another friend (e.g., “Jimmy you’ve got to see this” and push send) you are no longer a bystander – you are now contributing to that original abusive act. But what do you do? This scenario does not fit the usual bystander paradigm of seeing a friend getting a young woman drunk at a party.
As educators and activists – and as parents -- we need to preemptively initiate conversations with young people about these kinds of situations, where people often make quick decisions that in the Digital Age can have ramifications for the rest of their lives. Here again we need to address the question of institutional responsibility. Educators everywhere need to have these conversations long before that moment of truth! If institutional leaders do not initiate curricular innovations or programming on these sorts of issues then they are being passive bystanders.
Joan: Thank you so much Jackson. I loved having an excuse to call you to ask these questions. Questions that I ask myself every day... And I am truly moved by both your passion and your vision for where we all need to focus for the future. Thank you!
For more information about his books, films and for many useful tools, visit Jackson Katz’s website.
Warmly
Joan
Interview with Jackson Katz - Part I
Dear Engaged Bystander: As my year as the NSVRC blogger comes to a close, I thought about who are the people who can provide insights to carry us all forward. Jackson Katz immediately came to mind. He is one of the first to apply bystander thinking, interventions and strategies to prevent sexual violence. So I am thrilled to have had a chance to speak with him and add his words to these last few blogging days.
For those of you who don’t know Dr. Katz, here is a brief bio: Jackson Katz is an activist, educator, author and filmmaker, internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in the field of gender violence prevention education, particularly in the sports culture and the military. He co-founded the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program in 1993. MVP is one of the original bystander programs; it has been widely influential in the burgeoning field of bystander intervention. In 1997 he created the first worldwide domestic and sexual violence prevention program in the United States Marine Corps, a program he still directs. He and his MVP colleagues also work closely with the Air Force, Army and Navy in the development of their bystander programs. You might also know him through his educational videos for college and high school students, including Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity (2000), Wrestling With Manhood (2002) and Spin the Bottle: Sex, Lies and Alcohol (2004) or his book, The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help (2006).
Part I:
Joan: What advice can you give to those of us invested in bystander approaches to preventing sexual violence?
Jackson: I believe that bystander intervention – broadly understood – is the future of sexual assault prevention. But to be effective, we need a common and comprehensive understanding of the term ‘bystander.’ I prefer an expansive definition of ‘bystander’ that is rooted in social justice philosophy and education. Many people think of a bystander as someone who is present at the scene of a potential incident. Part of the confusion is how the word ‘bystander’ sounds; it sounds like it means ‘someone who is standing by.’ The way we have always used the term in the MVP program is to describe anyone who isn’t either a perpetrator or a victim in a given situation but is in a position to intervene before, during or after the act. Or a member of a peer culture that contains abusers or victims. Or an authority figure in a position to enact prevention strategies. In that sense virtually everyone is a bystander. The critical question is: are you an empowered/active bystander or an inactive/passive bystander?
To really transform our culture we need to go beyond simply teaching individuals the skills they need to intervene in given situations. We need to expand our thinking beyond the individual 20-year-old college or high school student, drinking at a party. For example, a person in a position of institutional authority, whether they’re a governor or mayor, university or college president, school superintendent or the principal of a high school, who does not use their position to initiate, fund and lead sexual violence prevention efforts, he or she is being a passive bystander. Individual skill building is important, but we need to look at systemic solutions. Unfortunately most people hear the word ‘bystander’ and only look at the very narrow frame of the individual response at the site of the abusive act.
Joan: Can you further explain the social justice-oriented approach to bystander intervention?
Jackson: We have different levels of responsibility depending on where we sit on the continuum of social power. Of course individuals have a responsibility to act in their everyday lives and social worlds. But I am concerned that many bystander initiatives have moved away from the social justice roots of the bystander approach in a way that is both degendered and decontextualized. It is useful to compare our approaches to working against ending sexual violence with anti-racist efforts. For example, do blacks and whites have the same responsibility to work against racism in America? Most of us would agree that while we all need to fight racism, whites have a greater responsibility to act. The same is true of sexual violence. Do women have the same responsibility as men to interrupt sexual violence? When men commit the vast majority of it? (Whether the victims are women or men, girls or boys.) I believe women and men have complementary roles to play, but let’s not pretend that responsibility for prevention is shared equally between the sexes.
In our work to develop the MVP program in the early 1990s, social justice was our guiding philosophical foundation. The question I was most interested in was: how do we get more men to speak up to challenge other men about how some of us behave toward women? At the time there were very few men involved in sexual assault prevention work. At MVP we settled on a strategy to address men not as perpetrators or potential perpetrators, but, as we said, as ‘empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers.’ It was similar to challenging whites to speak out about racism, or heterosexuals to interrupt heterosexism. Also, my idea to start MVP was not about the problem of sexual assault perpetrated by male student-athletes. It was about the role that sports play in the larger culture and particularly male culture. Men in sports often have enhanced status, and so we wanted them to use that status to help make it more acceptable for men to start challenging each other about how we treat women along a continuum of behaviors, ranging from sexist jokes and comments to sexual and domestic violence. Fairly soon thereafter we made the program mixed gender, addressing similar dynamics within female peer cultures and empowering women as bystanders as well. We’ve trained many thousands of women and girls, but we’ve never lost sight of the fact that ending men’s violence is more of a men’s than a women’s responsibility.
Joan: How does this social justice approach challenge us in a way that individual change may not?
Jackson: Solutions to social problems of the magnitude of sexual violence have to be social and institutional solutions. For example, there is no excuse for any college or university that has an athletic program NOT to have mandated sexual assault and relationship abuse prevention education for all student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators. If a college or university does not have this kind of programming – and hundreds do not -- it represents a failure of leadership at the level of the athletic director or university administration. Sexual assault prevention education should be part of the student-athlete experience – for men and women, from the first moment a young student-athlete steps onto campus. For this to happen will require a shift in our expectations about the role of campus leaders – university officials, athletic administrators, and coaches. If they are not offering and requiring these kinds of programs, they are being passive bystanders and hence complicit in sexually abusive behaviors, many of which can be prevented. The same logic about institutional responsibility on college campuses applies to leaders of Greek systems, housing, and other entities.
Look for tomorrow’s posting, Part II of this interview with Jackson Katz.
Warmly
Joan
Understanding the causal factors for rape builds the most effective prevention programs
Dear Engaged Bysander: I recently heard the keynote from the annual MASOC/MATSA conference and was moved by the research Ray Knight presented. I know that sounds odd to be “moved” by research, but I was. It was a fabulous presentation and what I loved about it was that he challenged us to base our prevention programs on research evidence – more than just good ideas.
Knight argued that all prevention programs need to be focused on the causal factors of rape and not the correlates. What does that mean in plain English? If we want to be successful at stopping any social problem or disease we need to look at the factors that CAUSE that problem. As an example, he showed a great cartoon of a caveman with tons of children saying “How do we prevent pregnancy when we don’t even know the cause of it?”
He then presented a model which offers a separation of the causal risk factors and the correlates to these factors. He suggests that prevention programs which focus on these causal risk factors will be more successful in the long run. The causal risk factors in his study included:
· Hypersexuality
· Callous/Unemotional
· Antisocial behavior
The correlates that he specifically studied included:
· Alcohol use
· Distorted perceptions
· Rape attitudes
· Pornography use
As he went into more detail, he offered compelling arguments that we as professionals need to read ALL of the literature. In this case there are often very distinct realms that rarely share knowledge – those who work with sex offenders and those who work on college campuses. He also demonstrated that the risk factors for adult rapists are not completely aligned with the risk factors for child molesters. In particular, this showed up in rape attitudes and distorted perceptions. So we need to be sure that we don’t use the same programs with college students as we may use in a program for children and youth.
Finally, he talked about the impact of the environment on the individual – the environment and particularly toxic stress can affect the brain and even affect the genes of a child or adolescent. The “can” means that there are some individuals who are more vulnerable to the stress in their environment. So from a primary prevention point of view, addressing these stressors can also affect the ability of an individual to live safely (regardless of their proclivity to offend).
So what are the implications for all of this? Certainly we need more research on this topic. But in the meantime, our bystander programs need to be sure to address the causal risk factors for rape IF we truly want to be successful. Understanding the impact of correlates is essential, but if we only target these correlates, we will not be able to get to the root of the problem.
I would strongly suggest that you take a closer look at the article by Knight, Knight and Brown-McBride OR take the time to listen to this keynote. Both a podcast and the powerpoint from his keynote at the annual MASOC/MATSA conference is available on the MASOC website.
Let me know what you think!
Warmly
Joan
We all have stories to tell
Dear Engaged bystander: I absolutely believe that ALL of us have many bystander stories to tell. In fact, if we interact with people every day, we have a story would could tell every single day. If we look at a time in our lives where we were being teased, sexually harassed or worse and someone did something – there is a story to tell. Or if we look at a time in our lives where we saw someone else who was uncomfortable or teased, sexually harassed or worse and we said something or did something to stop what was going on – there is a story to tell.
For Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), I tested my theory. I started to talk with people in my life – my neighbor, my hairdresser, a friend, a friend of my daughter’s, and the education director at my synagogue – with the belief that each one of them would have a bystander story to tell.
It is true that it took a few minutes for each one of them to tell me a story. First, I had to explain what I meant by “sexual violence” – the incident could be any number of things along a continuum of behaviors. It did not have to be a violent sexual assault. Then they found it easy to come up with a story where no one stepped in (e.g., to interrupt the sexist joke or watch while someone yelled at their spouse or child in the supermarket). It felt like people had a “filing system” for the stories where someone was hurt or might have been hurt. But the positive stories were not as easy to access. But with a few more questions, the stories did begin to emerge.
Each of these stories can be found on the SAAM CD, but I would like to give a little background. The first conversation I had was with Michael, my hairdresser at Chameleons. He hears many stories from many men and women every day so I knew this would be relatively easy for him. And his place is very politically active, often donating a day of their work towards a charity or raising funds for an event in town. So when I asked him the question and made it clear that any kind of story along the continuum of behaviors would do, I realized that he had tons of stories to tell. The most poignant ones were when kids came in and spoke about how they were bullied and asked for his advice. He gave them support for who they are, gave them options about what to do, and make sure that they did not feel so alone with their struggles.
But the story I wrote about was how his mother was sexually harassed at a rehab facility. I wanted the story of someone older, to show how our programs and materials have to address behaviors across all of the years of our lives. I also just loved how she was unwilling to let this happen to her again or to anyone else. She was not ashamed about what happened but indignant that she would be treated this way. She also knew that a lone voice does not have as much power – so she told Michael and he too got involved.
So what happened? I know that that particular orderly never worked with his mom again. I also believe that giving a voice to these stories do make a difference. In this case, I heard through Michael that she was so pleased to know that her story would be heard through the SAAM campaign and possibly reach others who have been in the same situation. My own opinion is that when we do share these stories, when we hear what others have done, it gives us hope AND gives us options about how we can act if we are faced with similar stories.
So please do share your stories and I will share a few others in the days to come!
Warmly
joan
xCHANGE Featuring Dr. Victoria Banyard -- Save the Date
Dear Engaged Bystander: The xCHANGE is a really unique opportunity to talk with Dr. Victoria Banyard, a nationally recognized expert on bystander intervention and the lead researcher of the UNH program, Bringing in the Bystander. Here are the details:
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center is pleased to announce the first in a series of online forums that will focus on supporting the xCHANGE of information between advocates, prevention educators and researchers. The forums are free and all you need to participate is a user account at nsvrc.org.
Our first xCHANGE Forum will support the National Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2011 Campaign and features Dr. Victoria Banyard moderating a discussion on bystander intervention.
Save the Date!
Join us on April 12 from 2:30-3:30 PM Eastern where a live real time xCHANGE of information will occur on the effectiveness of bystander intervention approaches moderated by Dr. Victoria Banyard. Bystander intervention serves as the central theme and approach in the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s 2011 Sexual Assault Awareness Month Campaign: It’s Time…to Get Involved.
If you cannot join us on April 12th please participate in the continued discussion on bystander intervention that will occur through April 15th. This exchange will not be a real time discussion but the forum will be open for questions, responses and comments; responses will be posted daily.
More information and how to participate is available online. If you have any questions or need any assistance logging in or creating an NSVRC account please contact Jenn Benner at jbenner@nsvrc.org.
warmly
joan
The Guts to Create a World We Want to Live In
Dear Engaged Bystander: In this blog, I invited Jennifer Rauhouse of Peer Solutions to talk about her work to engage bystanders in sexual violence prevention.
Joan: Can you tell me about your approach to bystander intervention:
Jennifer: To really have an impact, we have learned why and how to move beyond individual level bystander interventions. We believe that we all must shift away from putting the responsibility on the person harmed to prevent their own assault. We need to empower communities to be a part of the solution while holding those that harm accountable for their actions.
Joan: I am intrigued in what you have learned about HOW to engage people:
Jennifer: One important strategy we use at Peer Solutions is to use the words victimization, perpetration and bystander-intervention as verbs rather than nouns. This approach focuses on the behaviors we want to change while avoiding labels, stereotypes, myths and blame. When used as verbs, victimization and perpetration also mean the same thing. The action we want to encourage is to place full accountability on the person harming. Community level activities can then be focused on learning why individuals victimize as well as understanding and working to prevent the perceived norms that perpetuate the culture of harm. When the “Bystander Intervention” concept is used as a verb, we are able to empower everyone to be part of the solution.
Joan: Have you developed a specific program that focusing on engaging the community in taking on responsibility?
Jennifer: When we begin, our STAND & SERVE members are activated to “build the world they want to live in” as a safe bystander strategy. We find it helpful to begin with that positive vision rather than focus on the individual skill building surrounding the infinite possibilities about what they “should” do if they see/hear of an individual planning to sexually assault another. We have learned this strategy provides the best guarantee that our participants, who do witness a potentially dangerous situation, no matter where they are or what it is, when they perceive it to be safe, they will most definitely SPEAK UP and seek help.
Joan: How do you bring this positive world view into reality?
Jennifer: STAND & SERVE activities include weekly lunch meetings at local high schools, weekly after school meetings at community centers for elementary-post secondary level students and monthly STAND & SERVE Coalition meetings. In January of 2011, the STAND & SERVE Coalition launched THE GUTS TO BE GOOD (G2BG). Through G2BG we work towards creating a world where all humans are safe and are treated equally and with respect. G2BG promotes five simple acts of kindness.
1. The guts to be RESPECTFUL,
2. The guts to be COURTEOUS,
3. The guts to SPEAK UP,
4. The guts to be HONEST and
5. The guts to LEND A HAND.
We believe it takes everyone to end sexual violence. We are all Peers, We are all the Solution. We would like to thank Carol Hensell at ADHS guiding and supporting our bystander approach for the past ten years.
Click here for more information about the STAND & SERVE Coalition and their programs. Although their website is under-construction, but sure to check back in with them soon.
Warmly
joan
FREE Online Bystander Course
Dear Engaged Bystander: OK this is shameless promotion. And I am letting you know about this new FREE online course because it is an easy to use, quick overview of the bystander approach to sexual violence prevention.
For about six months, I have been working with NEARI (the New England Adolescent Research Institute) and with NSVRC (National Sexual Violence Resource Center) to create a FREE online course based upon the booklet I wrote "Engaging Bystanders in Sexual Violence Prevention." The online course allows us to build in links to useful resources, interactive exercises to help make the key issues clearer, and creates a mapping exercise for the student to build. I would love to know what you think of the course if you can take an hour to review the work.
Here is the official announcement and the link for this course:
The newly released Engaging Bystanders in Sexual Violence Prevention Online Course provides 1-2 hour, interactive tutorial on research, concepts, tools, and methods on effective bystander intervention. The tutorial, produced by The New England Adolescent Research Institute Inc. (NEARI) and sponsored by NSVRC, aims to educate and motivate individuals, groups, and communities to take action to prevent sexual violence. Joan Tabachnick, our bystander blogger, developed the online tutorial, basing it on an NSVRC publication released in 2008.
Please contact the NEARI Training Center info@nearipress.org with any technical questions regarding the course.
warmly
Joan
Part 2: Emerging Technology as a Tool for Bystander Engagement
Dear Engaged Bystander: Here is the second part of a great conversation with Marianne Winters of Graphix for Change.
Joan: So given your expertise, how do we meet these challenges using this technology?
Marianne: Here’s the challenge to those of us working in organizations addressing sexual violence. To the general public seeking basic information, our knowledge base is one of the best kept secrets on the internet. Search engines have certain rules. They find information based on their matrices that involve key words, phrases, and links to good information. Search engines don’t discern between survivor-centered and supportive messages and victim-blaming non-supportive messages.
We can meet this challenge by strategically building our expert status. We need to create and publish the website pages, blog posts, articles, and links to the information that we know bystanders need. We can do this by getting savvy about how the internet finds and prioritizes information and optimizing our own websites to respond.
Joan: Do you have any advice for organizations moving forward?
Marianne: From the technology end, we need to realize that the internet which at first was a convenient place for organizations to post an electronic version of their brochures and reports, is now an interactive, changing, breathing thing. Many organizations are now catching up to this trend and they’re seeing results. The organizations and the messages that rise to the top are building websites that also become platforms for news and information, for discussion and trends. These website are more than just posted information, they help communities engage and connect, they attract donors and supporters – in these situations, their work is more often coming up on the front page. Yes it changes things, it often requires changing job descriptions, workplans, updating skills, and increasing knowledge, but the payoff can be huge – survivors can more easily find you, donors can more readily support you, communities can more easily engage with you.
Joan: What does that mean for bystander work?
Marianne: When building your platforms, think about your audiences. When you post information, be sure to think about how it will be read by survivors and then how it will be read by the friends and families of survivors and victims. You may also want to consider what it means to be reach out to people who may know someone at risk to abuse or to someone who has not really thought about the issue much. If you find ways to interact with ALL of these audiences, you will have built a much more interactive and responsive conversation for your organization and your community.
If you are using your website as a platform to engage bystanders, we’d love to hear about it.
Marianne Winters is a leader in the movement to end and address sexualized and domestic violence and is passionate about progressive movements that are visionary, inclusive, current, responsive and proactive. Some would say that she’s “all over the place”. She prefers to say that she thrives on variety and is energized by the multi-faceted, never ending, interconnected and always exciting work of social change. She is the Project Diva for Graphix for Change and consultant and trainer for Praxis for Change.
Part 1: Emerging Technology as a Tool for Bystander Engagement
Dear Engaged Bystander: I have a teenager at home and I see how Facebook, texting, instant messaging and so many other social media tools are the mode of communications in their nearly 24/7 world. We often hear about the negative impact of these emerging technologies through bullying stories. I asked a national expert, Marianne Winters of Graphix for Change to talk about these same tools as an opportunity for bystander interventions.
Joan: Where do you see the match between the work you do and bystander intervention?
Marianne: There is an exciting match between the goals of the sexual violence movement and the opportunities created by the emerging internet technologies. We believe that our movement needs to jump into these new technologies to ensure that our voices are heard in this new and exciting environment.
Let me give you a concrete example. 
I just googled the term sexual violence in the city where I live. Here’s the list of sites on page one.
- the local sexual assault service provider,
- a training event that happened last year,
- 3 defense attorneys giving advice to someone accused of sexual assault or domestic violence,
- some general business links to the local rape crisis center and some other law firms.
- a listing of local newspaper articles on sexual assaults,
- some links to law firms 90 miles from here and some national organizations.
Then if I scroll through the entries, I begin to find sites that give messages about sexual violence – this is where it starts to become a problem.
- a YouTube video of a sex scene that is really a simulated rape.
- an entry in a website on college stories where a survivor of date rape shared her story and then received a long list of comments, some supportive, others victim blaming and abusive.
Here’s the good thing about this list. If I were a victim of rape looking for help, I would have found the local hotline easily enough.
Joan: And then what is the challenge here for bystander engagement?
Marianne: Here’s the challenge as I see it. Putting on the hat of an interested bystander, I did not find any information about what I could do to help end sexual violence. I easily found news and resources, yet I could not find any information about what I could do in my community. None of the important messages of the movement such as what role my school, sports team or my church could play in setting new social norms, increasing safety, support and comfort for victims or interventions for those at risk to abuse were anywhere in the top 50 listings.
Even more problematic for the sexual violence movement and the communities we serve, I didn’t see any simple information about what’s healthy and normal, what to expect if I report sexual abuse, or what to do when I someone I know discloses abuse to me. I can’t readily find out what will happen if I witness an abusive joke or have a friend who has attitudes that blame the victim.
Joan: So given your expertise, how do we meet these challenges using this technology?
Stay tuned for the next blog posting and conversation with Marianne Winters, Graphix for Change.
