It's sad but true: Fear is omnipresent in a woman's everyday life. When women and queer people actively avoid certain places, situations and platforms out of a feeling of insecurity, it not only massively restricts their freedom, but also their participation in public life and society. And that's exactly why it's important as an outsider to intervene at the first sign of harassment. But how? You'll find out now.
Responding to harassment in public: This is how the 5D method works
Harassment in public is an extremely sensitive situation. That's why many people rightly ask themselves: How should we react? It should be said in advance that there is no “right” or “wrong”. Anyone who dares to intervene at all is already doing good things. Sometimes it still helps to have some kind of orientation in difficult situations.
And this is where the 5D method from the non-profit organization Right to Be comes into play. It contains rules of conduct tested by experts that will help you act safely if you witness or are affected by harassment in public. These five ways are not only effective at the moment, but should fundamentally give women* a feeling of security. By the way, depending on the situation, a different “D” can be effective.
Important: As an outsider, you should only intervene if you feel safe.
1. Distract
Distraction always works! If you can't spontaneously think of anything else to say, just pretend to be a friend of the person being harassed and talk about your day or ask the time and keep the person concerned in conversation. Here you can get creative. If you are being harassed yourself, you can specifically involve another person who is walking by, for example. Then you try to distract from the situation.
2. Delegate (bring in others)
You can also use this “D” if you don’t have the courage to say something yourself. You also help by involving other people. Depending on the situation, these could be authority figures such as teachers, bartenders or bus drivers. If they diffuse the situation or expose the harassment, that is also your credit.
3. Document (Record)
No matter when, no matter where, our cell phone is (almost) always with us. Even if it does not stop the current harassment, videos or audio recordings can be helpful to those affected afterwards if they want them. Important: If you are not the person being harassed, you should inform them immediately about the documentation of the situation. If you record, you must provide the material to the person being harassed. You may never use it for any other purpose without their permission.
4. Delay
This “D” can and should always be used in such a situation: Be there for the person being harassed and emphasize that the behavior was wrong. Deal with the incident and be a friend. Whether you know each other or not doesn't matter. It always helps when someone is there for you.
5. Direct (address)
This last, very active method can change a lot if you dare. “Direct” refers to a calm yet focused confrontation. This is where you address the person who is harassing you and ignore them when they want to respond. By the way, this also works as an outsider: you first enter into the confrontation and then immediately offer your help to the person being harassed. If the perpetrator responds, you skillfully ignore it. Maybe he:she gets annoyed about it and leaves on his own.
