Experiences of Street Harassment and the Active Engagement of Bystanders: Insights From a Swiss Sample of Respondents

• Published in: Journal of interpersonal violence Vol. 38; no. 19-20; pp. 10640 - 10663
• Main Authors: Milani, Riccardo, Carbajal, Myrian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.10.2023; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Harassment; Intervention; Mass media effects; Original; Resistance; Sexism; sexism; victimization; gender; street harassment; intervention; bystander
• ISSN: 0886-2605; 1552-6518
• DOI: 10.1177/08862605231175912

In this article, we analyze data from a survey conducted in the Swiss city of Fribourg to investigate the correlation between bystanders’ experiences of street harassment and their likelihood of active engagement and strategies used to stop the harasser or assist and support targets of street harassment. Results reveal that, among bystanders, lifetime experiences of street harassment correlate positively with their ability to recognize street harassment conduct and the likelihood of intervention, support of the survivors, and reporting emergencies, even more significantly when the bystander endured physical abuse. In addition, behavioral differences among bystanders reflect different forms of resistance to the sexist culture that fuels street harassment. In light of these findings, we emphasize the need to integrate the narratives of the bystanders into awareness programs and campaigns, the importance of designing tools and policies to improve feelings of safety and limit street harassment conducts, including forms of benevolent sexism, and support further studies to assess the effectiveness of different intervention strategies in support of victims, including the need to research the use of digital media and its impact as a deterrent to street harassment or in increasing police reporting.