Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence - American College Health ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Preventing Sexual Violence through EmpoweringCampus BystandersBy Joetta L. Carr, PhDApromising approach to preventing interpersonal violenceis to teach and encourage bystanders to intervene withpeers and support potential or actual victims. A “bystander”is a friend, classmate, teammate, coworker, teacher, familymember, or stranger who is aware of or observes situationsand interactions that could lead to sexual harassment, intimidation,coercion, or assault. The goals of bystander interventionprograms are to increase awareness and understandingof the problem, increase feelings of responsibility to solve thisproblem, increase commitment to act, and to empower peopleto act both individually and collectively (McGann, 2005). Byfostering a sense of caring and community, campus culturescan be transformed and become safer.Instead of focusing on young men as perpetrators orpotential perpetrators, this model views men as allies whohave critical and unique roles in sexual violence prevention.By reducing defensiveness, messages can be heard andcollaboration cultivated.“Men have powerful influences on male peers and canlearn how to use their persuasive abilities in healthy ways”(Kilmartin, 2001, p. 6). “When men understand that thebystander role is not neutral, that hypermasculinity and sexismare toxic, and that they have an important influence on theirpeers, they can begin to accept responsibility for their behaviorwithin the social group” (p. 45).Instead of focusing on young women as victims or potentialtargets, this approach teaches young women how to safelyintervene and interrupt abusive and potentially risky scenarios.In fact, everyone in the campus community has a role to play,including professors, administrators, healthcare professionals,student leaders, graduate assistants, clerical staff, etc.Student behavior is greatly determined by prevailing culturaland social norms governing sexual attitudes and behaviors insociety. It is important to understand college sexual violencewithin the context of social relations. Contrary to the myth ofthe stranger rape, friends and acquaintances commit between80 and 90% of the sexual assaults against women on collegecampuses. Research findings suggest that only a minority ofmale students on campus commit the vast majority of sexualviolence on campus, are undetected, and are repeat offenders(Lisak & Miller, 2002). A campus culture that accepts andtolerates less severe sexual misbehavior by many more studentscontributes to sexual aggression at all levels.We have all observed inappropriate sexual encounters thatalarm us, make us uncomfortable, or cause embarrassment orhumiliation. These behaviors may occur in class, in corridors,at sports events, parties, at fraternity or sorority houses, atthe health center, student union, school events, and bars. Asbystanders to inappropriate sexual behavior, we not onlyhave opportunities to intervene, we have a shared responsibilityto prevent harm, foster a sense of community, and create aculture of caring at our institutions.This approach draws from ally development programswhere campus men are engaged as social justice allies toend violence against women (Fabiano, Perkins, Berkowitz,Linkenbach, & Stark, 2003).Research by Berkowitz (2002) suggests that college malesunderestimate their peers’ discomfort with sexist behavior.Correcting this misperception may result in men’s greater willingnessto challenge inappropriate peer behavior and speak outagainst rape-supportive attitudes and behavior. Interpreting sexistbehavior as a problem is a step toward feeling responsible forintervening and possessing the necessary skills to act.Banyard, Moynihan, and Plante (2007) have developeda bystander intervention program at the University of NewHampshire using a community of responsibility model.This approach goes beyond the individual level (with a focusonly on men) to community levels of change. Goals of thisprogram include:✤ Create new situational norms for intervention✤ Provide role models of helping behavior✤ Build a repertoire of specific skills for bystanders✤ Foster bystander’s sense of responsibility for intervening✤Develop sense of competence and identify situationsfor interveningBystander Intervention Key Components• Role modeling is crucial• Entire campus community has a stake (see “KeyPartnerships in Sexual Violence Prevention” on page 18)• Support bystander intervention on campus• Teach skills to intervene• Obtain commitment to intervene• Teach how to interrupt a possible sexual assault• Reduce defensiveness to the message16
SURVEY RESULTS . . .How familiar are you with Bystander Interventiontechniques to address prevention of sexualviolence?12.2% Very familiar25.7% Somewhat familiar11.1% Unsure12.8% Less familiar38.2% Not familiar at allPlante, Banyard, Moynihan, and Eckstein (2007) have developed“Bringing in the Bystander — Establishing a Communityof Responsibility” workshops and a facilitator’s guide regardingsexual violence prevention. There are three components to thistraining: 1) Educational, 2) Motivational, and 3) Skill Building.Using active learning approaches and peer educators, thisprogram targets attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors designedto increase bystander efficacy and willingness to intervene.Katz (n.d.) has developed a prosocial bystander model toprevent violence called “Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP).”The MVP model has been utilized in numerous educationalsettings and the playbooks and trainer’s guides are customizedfor diverse student bodies. The training consists of role-playsin which students identify and practice numerous options inresponse to incidents of harassment, abuse, and violencebefore, during, and after the event. It challenges students againstpassivity, silence, and complicity in the face of abusive behaviors.The MVP workshops discuss provocative questions such as:✤✤✤✤How do cultural definitions of manhood contribute tosexual violence and sexist behaviors?How do cultural definitions of womanhood contributeto women’s victimization or to their resistance?Why do many young men remain silent when theirpeers behave badly and how is the silence of peersunderstood by abusers?What message is conveyed when the abuser’s friendsdon’t confront him?✤ Why do some heterosexually identified men harassand beat up gay men?Men Can Stop Rape’s “Men of Strength” program includesa college campus affiliate component based on the bystanderapproach. The goal is to create a national network of supporton college campuses. “My Strength Is Not for Hurting” postersillustrate bystander media projects and are used by many campuses(P. McCann, personal communication, October 2007).Preliminary research to evaluate the effectiveness of the“Men of Strength” program by Men Can Stop Rape, theUniversity of New Hampshire program, and the Mentors inViolence Prevention program indicates that students and otherscan increase their awareness of sexual violence, learn how torecognize and identify inappropriate sexual behaviors, developskills to intervene safely, and make a commitment to intervene.ACHA Spring 2007 Preventing Sexual Violence SurveyWorkshops and training sessions for all of the programsdescribed above are usually conducted in single gender groupswith male and female trainers who are preferably peers of thegroup. For example, a football team would be trained by aformer or current athlete or coach who understands sportsculture, the pressures on young athletes, peer support forsexual conquests, etc. One-session workshops are less idealthan multiple sessions where bystander interventions can bepracticed and discussed and troubleshooting can occur.The formats focus on interactive, lively discussions usingscenarios that are based on real-life experiences. Studentsmay enjoy developing scenarios that are typical at their school.Examples include observing a student being targeted throughthe use of alcohol or date-rape drugs, conversations wherewomen are denigrated sexually, observing a passed out studentbeing carried upstairs to a bedroom, or seeing sexually explicitphotos of classmates on student Internet sites.A number of institutions have augmented bystander trainingprograms with media campaigns to change campus normsand achieve a more comprehensive prevention package.Media campaigns focus on community-wide prevention andare designed to educate and elicit behavior change. Potter,Stapleton, and Moynihan (in press) and Potter, Moynihan,Stapleton, and Banyard (in press) have developed and evaluateda poster campaign designed to empower bystanderswith the tag line “Know Your Power. Step In, Speak Up. YouCan Make a Difference.”The University of Kentucky violence prevention model targets“popular” students across social groups for bystander training(D. Edwards, personal communication, 2007). Using socialdiffusion theory, this model identifies popular opinion leaderswho may be more effective in shifting the campus norms frompassive bystanders to active intervention. To create a senseof immediacy and personal ownership, they conduct empathyexercises using violence data specific to their campus, emotionallyevocative segments from monologues created by studentsbased on their personal experiences with sexual violence, andsharing in small groups. They target student leaders from eachyear for training and 15% of first-year students to create a“critical mass” with enough momentum to create a tippingpoint to shift campus norms.17
Page 1 and 2: An ACHA ToolkitPrimary Prevention o
Page 3 and 4: Preface and AcknowledgementsPreface
Page 5 and 6: ACHA GUIDELINESAPRIL 2007Position S
Page 7 and 8: Sexual Violence PreventionBy David
Page 9 and 10: Sexual Violence PreventionSocial Ma
Page 11 and 12: holistic depiction. My hope is that
Page 13 and 14: Spread the Word aboutPreventing Sex
Page 15: Before you have sex, ask yourself..
Page 19 and 20: Alcohol andSexual ViolenceSURVEY RE
Page 21 and 22: Prevention of Sexual Violence on Ca
Page 23 and 24: ResourcesOrganizationsThe following

Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence - American College Health ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?