Why stepping in matters
Sexual harassment and violence often happen where other people are around: at parties and bars, at school and work, on transit, and in group chats. Friends and bystanders often notice the warning signs first.
When someone steps in, even in a small way, it can stop harm before it happens and show the person being targeted that they're not alone. People often hold back because they assume someone else will act, or they're not sure it's their place. It is. You don't need to be a hero. You just need to do something.
Five ways to step in
These options are adapted from the 5Ds of bystander intervention taught by the anti-harassment organization Right To Be, which built on Green Dot's original three Ds. Choose whichever is safest for you in the moment.
Warning signs to watch for
- Someone is trying to get a person who is very drunk or high to leave with them, or to separate them from their friends.
- Someone keeps pushing after hearing no, or keeps topping up another person's drink.
- A person looks uncomfortable, scared or frozen, or keeps trying to move away.
- Someone is being cornered, followed or blocked from leaving.
- Someone shares, or threatens to share, a sexual image of another person.
- Jokes or comments treat sexual violence as funny or normal.
Stepping in online
- Don't forward, like or comment on intimate images shared without consent. Delete them.
- Report the post or account to the platform.
- Message the person who was targeted privately:
I saw this. I'm sorry. Do you want help reporting it?
- If the person in the image is under 18, report it to Cybertip.ca.
- If it's safe, say something in the chat:
Not cool. Take it down.
Sharing or threatening to share someone's intimate image without consent is a crime in Canada, including fake or AI-generated images. What the law says.
Everyday ways to change the culture
Stepping in isn't only for emergencies. Every time someone questions a joke about assault, pushes back on victim-blaming or treats consent as normal, sexual violence gets a little harder to hide.
- Say
That's not funny
when a joke makes light of assault. - Challenge comments that blame survivors for what they wore, drank or did.
- Talk about consent with friends as something ordinary.
- Believe people who tell you something happened to them.
Your safety comes first
Never put yourself in physical danger. If someone is at immediate risk, call 9-1-1 (in Nunavut, the first three digits of the local number, then 1111). Stepping in from a distance, by distracting, getting help or checking in afterward, still counts.
If something you've seen brings up your own experiences, that's normal, and support is there for you too. Find support.
Sources
- Right To Be: bystander intervention training and the 5Ds. Right To Be.
- Criminal Code, section 162.1: Publication of an intimate image without consent. Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada.
- Criminal Code, section 163.1: Child sexual abuse and exploitation material. Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada.
- Cybertip.ca: Canada's national tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children. Canadian Centre for Child Protection.