Ways to take action against sexism and sexual harassment

Reducing sexism and harassment has the capacity to provide safer environments for everyone, be better for mental health, and produce more diverse opportunities.

Take Action

Empowering bystanders to act on sexist and sexually harassing behaviours in universities.

In 2017 VicHealth and the Office for Women, Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet engaged the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) to determine how behavioral insights could be used to encourage bystander action against sexism and sexual harassment. The aim of the partnership was to:

  1. Strengthen the ability of Victorians to be active bystanders against sexist behaviours and sexual harassment, with a particular focus on young people and men.
  2. Increase the capacity of communities and organisations to deliver good-practice bystander initiatives across Victoria.
  3. Contribute to the bystander evidence base in order to improve primary prevention of violence against women.

In 2018, as the next stage of this project, the University was invited by Vic Health to co-design a bystander intervention against sexist and sexually harassing behaviours in a University setting. The intervention was designed by the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), in collaboration with both staff and students from the University. The result was a series of five evidence-based email communications delivered weekly to students and staff in the three participating faculties (MDHS, Science, Fine Arts and Music). The emails used behavioural insights to promote bystander action as both a common and socially desirable behaviour.

In 2019, 29,496 students and employees across MDHS, Fine Arts and Music and Science took part in a randomised controlled trial. The trial aimed to assess whether sending a light-touch email communication in which participants are provided with the ‘know-how’ to actively bystand and a social norms message, increased active bystanding against sexism and sexual harassment. All three experimental strands led to an increase in reported action against sexual harassment, with the majority norms increasing this proportion by approximately a third. The full project report is available on the VicHealth website.

For more information on the project you can contact respect-uom@unimelb.edu.au.

  • It can be difficult for the targets of sexism and sexual harassment to confront perpetrators themselves, or in isolation – but sexism and sexual harassment often take place in front of an audience, or are later described to others. These people – ‘bystanders’ – have an opportunity to take action. When they do, they protect and support the person targeted, discourage the perpetrator, and contribute to perceptions that sexism and sexual harassment are not acceptable.

    Bystander intervention programs thus have the potential to change broader cultural norms about gender and the acceptance of gender-based violence, as well as providing immediate support to those on the receiving end of inappropriate behaviour.

    Encouraging bystander interventions have been demonstrated to be an effective mechanism in reducing sexual harassment in workplaces. As a member of the University community, you have the ability to make a difference, by standing up and against inappropriate behaviour including sexism and sexual harassment.

    When thinking about taking bystander action, we need to own our shared responsibility to do something and look after the safety and wellbeing of our fellow students and colleagues. As detailed below, when engaging in bystander action, it is important to also keep your own safety in mind – so consider whether it is best to take action in the moment, or after the incident has occurred.

Strategies for taking action

There are many different ways you can challenge sexism and harassment directly.

  • Sexist and harassing behaviours often target a specific person or group. Active bystanders can support the target(s) of these sexist and harassing behaviours in different ways.
    You can do this in public, straight after the behaviour, or in private, once the situation is over. Publicly show support for the person being targeted.

    Publicly show support for the person being targeted

    When you show clear support to the victimised person, you show that sexist or harassing behaviours are inappropriate without directly confronting the person doing so. This tactic can also disrupt or stop the behaviour.

    • “That kind of behaviour is not OK. I’m sorry you have to deal with that”
    • “It must be annoying having to deal with situations like that”

    Ask if the target is okay

    Asking if the target is okay ensures that you prioritise the wellbeing of the target(s). If there was no clear target of the behaviour, you can also talk to the group who witnessed the behaviour and check if they are OK.

    • “I noticed that you looked uncomfortable after that interaction. Are you OK?”
    • “I just wanted to check how you were after that situation the other day - how are you?”

    Ask directly “how can I help?”

    Directly asking the target(s) “how can I help?” shows that you are willing to help, and will prompt them to think about what they need help with following the behaviour.

    • “I’ve noticed that people have been making jokes about your sexuality lately. How can I help?”
    • “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  • Here are some ways active bystanders challenge sexism and harassment directly. You can do this either publicly or privately, if it is safe to do so.

    • Challenging a sexist statement or act in public communicates to others that the behaviour is unacceptable and can stop the situation from escalating. Sometimes it’s more effective to talk to the person about their behaviour later. They might be more likely to listen to your feedback if they are in a private space.

    Ask a question

    Ask the person to explain what they have said or done. This can help them realise it was inappropriate. For example:

    • “What do you mean by that?”
    • “I want to see if I understood you correctly. Did you say that men should be allowed to control their partners?”

    Tell the person how you feel about their behaviour using an "I" statement

    This is a good way of challenging somebody without arguing with them, because you are giving your own opinion. For example:

    • “I don’t think that’s true at all”
    • “You might have thought it was just a joke but I think this kind of comment could be offensive to some people” or “You’re making me really uncomfortable when you keep commenting on their appearance.”

    Raise the issue gently.

    You do not want the person to feel attacked, so begin gently and try to keep the tone relaxed. For example:

    • “I wanted to have a chat about the comment you made the other day…”
    • “I’ve been thinking about what happened in class yesterday…”

  • If you encounter sexism and harassment, you can also be an active bystander by getting support in the situation, both for yourself as a bystander and for the target.

    It is important that you consider what the target wants when getting bystander support. This can be done “in the moment” by looking at the victim’s body language and nonverbal cues, or “after the moment” by later asking them directly if they would like to seek further support regarding the incident or report the incident.

    Use a “we” statement or refer to the collective

    A “we” statement can help you to get support from the people around you, even if they themselves remain silent. For example:

    • “We don’t accept sexism here.”
    • “I don’t think that we all agree with you on that.”

    Find someone else who can help to intervene

    Somebody else may be more capable of intervening safely and effectively. Others also may appreciate you being the first to bring it up, and join in to support you. For example:

    • Ask a friend who knows either the offender or target better if they can say something: “I know you’re friends with [name], could you ask him why he keeps asking [name] out when they’re not interested? It’s got to stop.”

    Report the incident to an authority

    Someone in authority may be able to assist. In some cases, you may even be able to report anonymously. Reporting to a teacher, the university, or law enforcement might be appropriate if the behaviour is against the university code of conduct, or is against the law.

    Even if you do not wish to make a formal report at this time we encourage you to contact the Safer Community Program or your Human Resources representative who can provide support, explain and explore options, and assist you with any action you decide to take.

    The University also has a free confidential counselling service. We encourage you to contact this service on +61 3 8344 6927 or visit the Counselling website.

    You can make a formal report through the following:

What if I am not confident in taking these actions?

Sometimes you might not feel confident to take some of these actions.

There are other things that you can do 'in the moment' to be an active bystander. Remember, if you witness sexism and sexual harassment, it is really important that you do something - you can only challenge sexist and harassing behaviours if you try!

  • Sometimes, using silent body language can be easier than saying something directly to the person. It can be a good way of showing you don’t agree with what is happening if you are not feeling confident to do so verbally. Nonverbal cues can also interrupt the sexist or harassing behaviour before it goes further. For example:

    • Shake your head and look away.
    • Physically stand in the way of the person exhibiting the behaviour.

  • If you are not confident to directly call out a situation for what it is (e.g., “that’s racist, please stop”), then you can try making a light-hearted comment to stop the behaviour before it escalates.

    • “Wooow. Really?”
    • “Um… Did you actually just say that?”
    • "Oh wow, I would not have expected that from you."

Remember: while intervening in sexism and sexual harassment is important, your safety is more important. If it is unsafe to intervene, or the perpetrator responds aggressively when you intervene, remove yourself from the situation.

Further information

Where to get help

For immediate on campus help, you can call Campus Security on 03 8344 6666 or 1800 246 066 (free call). For off campus help, you can call emergency services (police and ambulance) on 000.

The Safer Community Program provides support and advice to members of the University of Melbourne community about inappropriate, concerning or threatening behaviour. The Safer Community Program website provides an extensive list of additional resources and services.

You can also contact the Counselling & Psychological Services (CAPS) team. CAPS provides free, confidential, short-term professional counselling to enrolled domestic and international students and staff.

Contact the Safer Community Program

Message using the online contact form.
Phone: 03 9035 8675
Email: safer-community@unimelb.edu.au
Visit: Stop 1, 757 Swanston Street, Parkville

Contact Counselling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

Phone: 03 8344 6927
Email: caps-reception@unimelb.edu.au
Make an appointment online.