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next we'll learn how to intervene as a bystander this lesson will answer the questions what is bystander intervention and how do I intervene as a bystander first let's start with a definition of bystander intervention bystander intervention is the act of someone intervening when they see behavior or hear language that promotes domestic or sexual violence you might be wondering why does it matter that I learn how to intervene most people do not perpetrate domestic or sexual violence and most people are not victimized by domestic or sexual violence well this is true it is likely you know or will know someone who is directly impacted by this issue one in five women will be a victim of sexual assault in her lifetime and one in four women will be a victim of domestic violence the skills you learn here will empower you to help the people in your community who you care about your actions can make a real difference a recent survey of domestic violence and sexual assault victims showed that when supervisors and colleagues reach out victims feel safer more supported validated and less isolated let's learn the five steps to intervening there are five steps to safely intervening first you notice an event then you recognize that action might need to be taken third you decide to act fourth you decide how to safely intervene and lastly you take action in step one you recognize actions or patterns of behavior that indicate someone is perpetrating domestic or sexual violence or that someone might be a victim of domestic or sexual violence next you decide that action needs to be taken one thing to consider could the situation get worse if nobody takes action if the answer is yes proceed to step 3 in step 3 you take responsibility to act if you aren't sure whether you should take action you might ask yourself if this was a friend or family member what I want someone to act on their behalf if the answer is yes proceed to step 4 in step 4 you decide how to safely intervene some of the options include directly responding using a distraction technique or delegating to someone else to intervene let's review these options in a little more detail if you decide to directly intervene you take responsibility to confront the situation directly or you can use distraction to redirect the focus somewhere else the last option is to delegate you ask someone else to intervene be it police security or another individual who can help and lastly and step 5 you respond you take action and safely intervene after you take action you should be proud that you decided to act we all have a role in ending domestic violence and sexual assault there are a few things to keep in mind after you take action it's important to respect an individual's choices do not take it personally if someone responds differently than you anticipated domestic violence and sexual assault are crimes that take away in individuals power and control it is important to give power back to survivors and to trust them to make the choice that is best and safest for them even if the outcome is not how you envisioned it it does not mean you didn't have an impact as one survivor reminds us there may be barriers to leaving that you don't see and the victim might be making plans to leave that you are not aware of next we'll learn how to apply these skills to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault now test your knowledge take the quiz below