The Bystander’s Role: How To Take Action Against Public Abuse

Guidance for those who want to intervene but aren’t sure how

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Over a year ago, I published an article, What Should You Do When You Witness Abuse Happening In Public? It stirred ample discussion in several comment sections, which is exactly what I was aiming for. The more we examine this pervasive issue together, the more seriously we take it. The more seriously we take it, the more plainly we see it. The more plainly we see it, the more opportunities we have to discontinue and prevent harm.

The people responded with ideas, personal anecdotes, and commentary. Here on Medium, we are online readers from all over the world, and yet, we are a community. To an extent, the internet allows us to help people on different continents, and that's powerful. I see this happen all the time, and I want to encourage more of it.

However, one commenter was a bit critical of my first approach.

So “bystander intervention” is one term for the process of a person not directly involved in the abusive situation getting involved.

It’s likely dv organizations offer research and tips on this, and a full array of options, so with a topic this serious, it is probably wise to consider those first rather than the public at large’s…