Residents invited to become Active Bystanders

a woman comforting another woman

Residents are invited to become 'Active Bystanders' by taking part in a new initiative that aims to address sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour towards women and girls.

Anyone in the county can sign up to take part in 45 minute online module which will provide residents with information and guidance on what they could do if they saw inappropriate or threatening behaviour and gives advice on how they could address it in a safe way.

The online module has a particular focus on women’s safety and sexual harassment.
Research conducted by our Safety Advisor Group in late 2021 found that 81% of women who responded were not confident that passers-by would help them if someone was acting inappropriately towards them.

The same research showed that 60% of male respondents and 70% of women respondents didn’t feel confident that they would be able to safely intervene if they saw someone behaving inappropriately towards a woman.

The module will help participants learn more about what sexual harassment looks like, the myths and stereotypes that continue to enable and facilitate sexual harassment in our communities, and the importance of people not colluding with these myths or minimising unacceptable behaviour.

The Bystander Intervention information module is open to anyone in the county and only takes 45 minutes. Sign up now.