Catcalling
You’re on the bus home from work. You see a young woman being catcalled and harassed by a man. He’s making inappropriate sexual comments and moving really close to her.
This is sexual harassment.
How could you help stop it?
Say something
You could say something to the person being abusive, like ‘That isn’t appropriate'. Or you could be more direct by saying it’s unacceptable and tell them to stop. Even using your body language to show you don’t approve of their behaviour can help stop it.
Tell someone
You could tell the bus driver the behaviour you’ve witnessed and ask them to report it or tell the abuser to get off the bus.
Offer support
You could give support to the victim and to other passengers who are already intervening. You could ask if the victim is OK, you could capture what’s happening on your phone or you could offer to help report it.
Provide a diversion
You could strike up conversation with the victim to allow you to move in between her and the abuser. You could ask her where the next stop is or pretend you know her.
Explore another scenario
Explore the scenarios below to see how you could put these ways to intervene safely into practice.
Controlling and coercive behaviour
Your friend has become withdrawn since she met her new partner and you think he's controlling her.
Revenge porn
Your friend is uploading nudes of his ex-girlfriend on to social media to deliberately hurt and embarrass her.
Unwanted touching
You see a man groping a woman in a bar. She tries to move away and is clearly uncomfortable.
Reporting abuse
You have every right to report abuse to the police if you see or experience it. If you are a bystander, make sure you ask the victim what they want you to do.