29th May 2023 saw the murder of a young a 16-year-old girl captured on CCTV camera in Delhi as was brutally stabbed 20 times and bludgeoned to death by her boyfriend reviving debate around the ‘bystander effect’. The CCTV visuals also appeared where the accused can be seen stabbing the girl multiple times and then hitting her head with a boulder. At the time of the incident, there were several bystanders, observers, witnesses who did not come forward to help the victim. The theory is as follows – the greater the number of witnesses to an incident, the less likely someone is to intervene.
A bystander is anyone who is present at the scene of misconduct but does not actively do anything to prevent it from happening. An active bystander is one who intervenes in situations where a crime/ misconduct is taking place.
The active bystander may have a direct approach, distract the aggressor, delegate to another person by asking for assistance and may try to delay the aggression in whatsoever form it may be in.
This is because the bystander may be afraid, indifferent or unthinking about the situation at hand. The responsibility to act is thought to be shared among all of those present.
Implementing POSH in spirit- Employers must foster a culture of awareness, empathy, and active engagement, where each individual recognises their inherent power to make a difference. If employers were to provide training on how to recognise and report inappropriate behaviour, educate employees about bystander intervention strategies, encourage reporting and communicate a clear policy against retaliation and discrimination the bystander effect be negated.
#bystander #poshlaws #womenssafety