Graphic by Lucas Olscamp/The Gazelle

On Nov. 16, the first of a series of bystander intervention training workshops took place in the West Forum. The workshop was led by Tina Wadhwa, NYU Abu Dhabi's Wellness Counselor who has not yet received her UAE counselling license and is the point person for mental health promotion and sexual misconduct support services. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Women’s Leadership Network Student Interest Group, the Anchorage Society SIG and REACH, a student initiative. It aimed to equip students with skills to mitigate sensitive situations surrounding sexual assault, alcohol and other issues on and off campus.

The training started with an affirmation of the purpose of bystander intervention: the addressing of the bystander effect, the phenomenon in which individuals help victims less when they are in a group. The 13 attending students then discussed situations when they needed an ally or situations when they had been allies to those in need of help. The talk then moved into identifying situations where one could provide help, how these situations and arising obstacles could be navigated and how an individual could do so in a safe and appropriate manner.

The steps involved in assessing situations involve: noticing the situation, interpreting the issue, assuming responsibility, knowing how to help and implementing the help. The students who attended the training were divided into groups, presented with different situations where help could have been provided and were asked to discuss what mitigation and intervention strategies they would employ. Issues such as ambiguity and conformity were also discussed in conjunction with addressing these specific circumstances.

Participants at the feedback session gave a positive response to discussion about the intervention training potentially becoming a necessary element for freshmen and the larger student body.

When asked about how the training would help in mitigating situations in the near future, junior Rasha Shraim said, “The training has definitely encouraged me to stand up and do something when I see something in the future.”