Innovations in Bystander Intervention Designed to Prevent Gender-Based Violence across the Lifespan

Gender-based violence--violence that stems from systematic and unequal distribution of power among those of various genders--has significant negative impacts on those who experience it, including negative psychological, physical, and social outcomes. Research indicates that interventions designed to increase prosocial and proactive bystander intervention in problematic or violent incidents to reduce and prevent gender-based violence show promise. In particular, bystander intervention programs or strategies for preventing sexual violence have shown evidence of changing attitudes about sexual violence, increasing knowledge about the issue, and increasing self-efficacy towards intervening in instances of sexual violence. Historically, most bystander programs have included similar content and activities and have focused on increasing prosocial bystander behavior among university, and more recently high school, students. Recently, some researchers and practitioners have been innovating bystander programming in ways that are likely to engage learners in creative ways or capture the attention of new populations. Roundtable presenters will draw from their research and practice experience in bystander intervention with youth, emerging adults, and adults and will provide a brief overview of recent research that takes an innovative approach to bystander intervention that addresses multiple forms of gender-based violence, including sexual and dating/intimate partner violence as well as child trafficking for sexual exploitation and maternal mortality. These projects employ bystander intervention in unique ways, including addressing different levels of the social-ecological model. The first presenter will discuss the development and evaluation of a virtual bystander intervention program for youth-serving adults that educates adults about sexual harassment and assault as well as how to intervene in sexual violence among adolescents. The second presenter will share bystander intervention experiences of LGBTQIA2S+ college student survivors and how those experiences informed a LGBTQIA2S+-specific adaptation of a bystander intervention program. The third presenter will discuss the development of an innovative online bystander intervention for South Asian immigrants and will provide case examples about the interactive scenarios included in her intervention. Additionally, she will discuss the role of technology in engaging with bystanders in comparable interventions. The fourth presenter will share her experiences on adapting bystander intervention programs to new areas of harm, including interventions to prevent child sex trafficking and maternal mortality. Additionally, she will share insights about considerations for tailoring measures of bystander intervention to novel areas, such as problematic alcohol use and harassment in academia. After brief overviews by each presenter, the discussant will guide conversation concerning innovations in bystander intervention. Audience members will be encouraged to participate in the discussion and share their own experiences, questions, and ideas. Overall, this roundtable will identify ways in which bystander interventions can be innovated to effectively reach communities who may experience gender-based violence and those who surround them.