Did you know that the more bystanders to an incident, the less likely anyone will intervene - the Bystander Effect.
Most people want to intervene but are unsure how to. Here are some reasons.
Yet when we don't intervene, the victim feels worse. I've spoken to people who were harassed who said, if only someone just came forward and asked if I were ok, it would have made all the difference.
It's time we moved from Bystander to Upstander, but how? Is it safe?
Upstanding is all about standing up for the victim/target and supporting them. You don't need to confront the harasser or seek to de-escalate. You're not trying to punish/educate the harasser or mediate. You're supporting someone who is being harmed.
How do you intervene? Betty Yeoh explains in more detail in our video: the 4Ds: Direct, Distract, Delegate and Delay
Power dynamics is real. If you are male, white or senior in an organisation, your intervention sends a strong signal. If you don't intervene, you condone the conduct. For example, women who call out sexual harassment are tired of doing all the heavy lifting
Employers can make a big difference by creating a safeguarding culture which encourages upstanding. Upstanders need to know they will be backed by management.
And watch Betty Yeoh and me, here:
We are really committed to helping employers make their workplaces safe and inclusive - reducing bullying and harassment. vimeo.com/460811454
Sexual harassment is not a crime. Not in Malaysia, not in the UK, not in most jurisdictions in the world.
Crimes, like murder, theft and rape, need to be proven beyond reasonable doubt, in order to secure... facebook.com/animah.kosai/p…
conviction. A crucial element of most crimes is mens rea - the intention - of committing a crime - and this needs to be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
The definition of Sexual Harassment does not follow the conventional criminal philosophy. I'll take the UK definition:
I see a lot of Malaysians and Singaporeans complaining about the haze (toxic smoke that blankets South East Asia nearly every year, since 1997 or before). How about doing something about it. Here are some suggestions...:
FIND OUT. There is data everywhere. Besides DOE, @Greenpeace is a good place to start. There is data showing API readings, heat maps etc. But there are also a lot of gaps.
@Greenpeace As citizens, you have every right to demand answers. Ask the Malaysian and Indonesian governments: where is the burning, on whose land?
@TheUsopIbrahim says we can’t educate rapists so we must teach our daughters how to protect themselves. Don’t trust men who are not related to you. This statement is so ignorant, so let’s “teach” Usop who women can’t trust (unless they’re related to him).
1. Yes, we can teach men not to rape. Most men don’t, won’t and have no inclination to rape. But let’s consider why some men are predisposed to violence and are unable to control their sexual urges.
2. Look at toxic masculinity, where boys from an early age are taught that being strong means being tough, aggressive and not showing their true emotions, such as fear, pain, and most certainly CAN’T CRY.