Protecting Children and Adults from Abuse After Savile by Marcus Erooga

Author:Marcus Erooga [Erooga, Marcus]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Social Work
ISBN: 9781134258680
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2006-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

What is a bystander intervention?

While most programmes are targeting either the victim or perpetrator of a crime (or the person who is at risk to harm or be harmed), a bystander intervention approach is broadened to address the behaviours of others – the friends, family, co-workers, and other witnesses that surround any act or pattern of abuse – and, by doing so, offers an opportunity to address at-risk behaviours before sexual abuse has been perpetrated in the first place (Tabachnick, 2008a). Furthermore, the bystander approach creates opportunities to establish the social norms and expectations within an organisation and a community that does not allow sexual violence (Banyard et al., 2004). It gives a role to each individual to question and address behaviours that fall outside of the social norm or, from a policy perspective, fall outside of the formal code of conduct for that organisation. This approach has been successfully used with a variety of other public health issues such as combating racism and stopping drinking and driving.

When we first consider ways to stop child sexual abuse we typically think about stopping a crime, but rarely is that individual act seen, and if it is observed it is rarely an easy, safe, or effective time and place to intervene. Rather, bystander interventions target the hundreds of small comments, harassments, emotional and physical boundary violations, and other signs that may precede sexual abuse – what may be considered in the broadest sense to be the grooming process (see Chapter 3). If the entire focus of a bystander programme is on the crime then we may miss the multiple opportunities to do something or say something before someone is harmed (Tabachnick, 2008a). Furthermore, creating a bystander intervention programme establishes an organisational culture that expects all staff, volunteers, and participants to speak up, ask questions, and respond to the behaviours they see – these small comments, harassments, and boundary violations test the limits of a culture, thereby protecting our most vulnerable populations.

Within an organisational context, the code of conduct provides the blueprint for what are acceptable behaviours for interactions between adults and children and also between the children and young people. It is typically a straightforward guide of dos and don’ts to inform staff and volunteers about how to conduct themselves within the organisation (Wurtele, 2012). The code of conduct explains behaviours that fit within the organisation’s culture as well as the behaviours which break the boundaries of that culture. When developing the code of conduct, it is important to set clear boundaries to address possible violations – emotional (e.g. giving special or personal gifts to an individual young person), communication (e.g. a young person’s physical attributes or development), and physical boundary (e.g. photographing or videotaping minors while dressing or showering).

When empowering individuals to become engaged bystanders, and take specific actions, it is equally important to consider the environment surrounding those individuals. If the policy is clear and yet the administration does nothing to enforce the code of conduct or address violations, then it is difficult for any individual to take the actions necessary to prevent harm.

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