Being a Positive Bystander
At Marshall University we focus on being positive bystanders. Everyone has the potential to be a positive bystander in situations of sexual violence, interpersonal violence, harassment, discrimination and other concerning behaviors.
What is a bystander? A bystander is someone who sees or hears about a situation that could be potentially harmful and engages in prevention efforts.
All bystanders face a choice: Do I ignore the situation? Or do I step in and try to make things better?
You may never encounter a critical emergency. More likely, you could find yourself in everyday situations where you may notice behavior that could be disrespectful, harassing, controlling, coercive, or harmful.
You have the ability to:
- stop a situation from escalating
- help someone that could be at risk
- prevent someone from making a decision that could harm themselves or another person