Intervening When You See Harassment Is Easier Than You Think
Jun 14, 2021
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Emily May, co-founder and executive director of Hollaback, shares her journey in creating a global movement against harassment. She discusses the power of bystander intervention and offers practical strategies through the five D's of intervention. Emily highlights the importance of community training in de-escalating conflict and effective responses to harassment. Listeners learn how simple actions can empower individuals to create safer environments and the hopeful progress being made in addressing these issues worldwide.
Hollaback empowers individuals globally through free training on bystander intervention, making it easier to combat harassment confidently.
The podcast highlights the importance of the 5Ds of bystander intervention as practical steps to effectively address harassment situations.
Deep dives
The Inspiration Behind Hollaback
Hollaback was founded in 2005 by Emily May and her friends in response to their shared experiences of street harassment in New York City. They were particularly influenced by a viral incident involving a woman named Taunawin, who documented her harassment on the subway after the police dismissed her concerns. This incident highlighted the pervasive issue of harassment that many individuals face, prompting the founders to create a platform where people could share their stories and experiences. Over time, Hollaback evolved from a simple blog into a global organization dedicated to providing resources and training to combat harassment.
Importance of Bystander Intervention
Bystander intervention is crucial in addressing harassment as it empowers individuals to take action instead of remaining passive witnesses. Research indicates that when bystanders intervene, it can significantly reduce the impact of harassment on victims. The podcast underscores that many people feel hesitant to act in these situations due to fear or uncertainty about how their intervention might escalate the situation. Individuals can learn practical techniques through organizations like Hollaback to empower them to step in confidently when they witness harassment.
The 5Ds of Bystander Intervention
Hollaback has developed a framework known as the 5Ds of bystander intervention, which includes Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct. Each step offers a simple approach to intervening effectively, such as creating a distraction to de-escalate a situation or documenting harassment to support the victim. For example, one creative approach mentioned was having a conversation with the person being harassed to redirect attention away from the harasser. This model aims to make intervention feel instinctive, encouraging everyone to take action based on their comfort level.
Building a Community of Active Bystanders
The podcast concludes with an empowering message about the increasing number of people stepping up to combat harassment, particularly in recent years. Emily May expresses optimism about the growing awareness and engagement surrounding harassment issues, noting the surge in participants seeking training with Hollaback. Creating a movement focused on collective action against harassment is vital, where everyone can play a role in fostering a safer environment. Sharing the knowledge and tools for effective bystander intervention helps ensure that individuals do not have to navigate these challenging situations alone.
Intervening when someone is being harassed feels scary. But a global, people-powered movement called Hollaback is making it easy to put an end to harassment — and they’re seeing huge progress. The organization has grown to 14 countries, where it provides free trainings on conflict de-escalation, bystander intervention, resilience, and more. Through their simple, effective programming, Hollback is on a mission to empower people to take a stand against harassment and effect positive change.
In this episode, Hollaback co-founder and executive director Emily May shares the disturbing story of harassment that inspired her to start Hollaback, why bystander intervention is important, how anyone can learn to be an effective bystander through Hollaback’s five steps of bystander intervention, and why we can be hopeful about addressing harassment.