What Everyone Can Do Stop Domestic and Sexual Violence
- Educate yourself on common oppressive statements and language that our culture normalizes, stop using them and educate your family and friends about oppressive language.
- Be an active bystander. A bystander is someone who witnesses something happening. Many people who witness verbal, sexual or physical violence don’t know what to do or become afraid so they do nothing. Studies show that the larger the number of people witnessing violence, the less likely they are to take action. This is because they feel someone else will do something. Unfortunately, this is often not true. You can take a safe stand against violence in your community.
- Take action if you witness or hear violence - in any form. You do not have to put yourself in harm’s way to take action. You can call the police, report harassing behaviors to authorities, yell for help, or make a scene to scare the perpetrator away.
- Donate time as a volunteer. Most domestic and sexual violence programs have a variety of volunteer opportunities, including both direct service with victims and indirect service that would not entail working with victims.
- Support legislation that assists victims and increases accountability for the batterer.
- Make sure information about resources for survivors of domestic and sexual violence is available at your doctor’s office, place of worship, school and workplace.
- Work to ensure respect and dignity for all people, regardless of their gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation or physical ability. Take an active stand against oppression and violence in all its forms.
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Work to ensure that your place of employment has policies in place to help employee survivors of domestic violence.
- Be a safe and supportive ally for women who have experienced domestic and sexual violence.
- Join an organization that is committed to ending violence towards women such as the YWCA, or the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (OCADSV).
- Teach boys and girls that “no means no” in any relationship. Teach girls that respect is the minimum that they should expect. Teach boys the same thing.
- Be aware of your own gender stereotypes, and work on changing unhealthy perceptions.
- Get involved when you are aware of school bullying. Never tell children they need to toughen up or just deal with it. That sends the message to the bully and the victim that violence is acceptable and normal.
- Teach children to express themselves in non-violent ways. Let them know that anger, disappointment and other emotions are normal feelings everyone experiences and everyone is responsible for dealing with appropriately. Hold them accountable for inappropriate reactions to anger such as hitting and verbal violence.
- Critically look at the sexist and violent messages that the media, video game industry, sports industry, entertainment industry and our commercial enterprises produce. Take a vocal stand on these issues. Don’t support companies, organizations and media that dehumanize women and girls. Send the messages to those organizations that violence and sexism is unacceptable.
- Encourage girls to excel in areas that have traditionally been thought of as primarily for boys, such as math and sports. Let them know they can achieve!
- Nurture both boys and girls; be available to listen to their feelings without judging their emotions.
- Positively parent, using non-violent (both verbal and physical) disciplinary methods.
- Watch your language: do not use homophobic or racist language or statements. Educate others on the power of language and the oppression it causes.
- Empower the women and girls in your life!