“The potential offender and the child are the two least likely people to intervene in their own situation.” That leaves the responsibility to the bystanding adults around if prevention is going to happen.
- Darkness to Light, Bystander intervention training - 

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"A bystander is a person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part."* A bystander is someone that is witnessing an unsafe interaction; active bystanding is key to prevent child abuse. *Wikipedia
 
Intervening or taking preventative measures as an active bystander can mean the difference between a child being abused or being protected from abuse. We can all be active, empowered bystanders in both prevention and intervention roles.

There are times when we witness something that doesn't feel right but we ignore it because we are not sure if we should intervene or not. It takes courage to step up and step in. By getting help or saying something, you are part of the solution; watching and doing nothing makes you part of the problem. So, what can you do if you witness abuse? RAINN* gives us these suggestions:
If you know the person that is behaving improperly, is very important to say something, even if it is an uncomfortable conversation. Don’t allow the person to minimize the situation, and get support from others. We understand that it is very difficult to decide to take action, but if a choice lines up so that it supports truth, health, happiness, wisdom and love, it’s the right choice.
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​Prevention is key when we talk about abuse. There are specific behaviors that we should all learn to recognize. The stage where an abuser targets his/her victim and becomes close to him/her is called Grooming. Click HERE to learn about Grooming and the Red Flag behaviors. 

Become an active bystander!

There is an online course from Darkness to Light that we recommend: 
​http://www.d2l.org/education/additional-training/bystander-intervention/
Respect Group Inc. has  an excellent course here:  
https://activityleader.respectgroupinc.com/
Sources:
Darkness to Light, Bystanders protecting children from sexual abuse online course -  https://d2l.csod.com/client/d2l/default.aspx
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/bystander
http://womensfreedomcenter.net/get-informed/who-is-a-bystander/
https://rainn.org/articles/steps-you-can-take-prevent-sexual-assault?_ga=2.67244437.501745467.1579458369-5170565.1573499987
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