Following National Anti-Bullying Week, Sasha Mahuli, one of Students' Union UCL's Active Bystander Workshop Leaders, reflects on the ways in which we can all help address instances of bullying on campus, and the importance of empowering others.
As a Workshop Leader for the Active Bystander Programme, my primary job is to conduct and facilitate conversations on unacceptable behaviours — with the ultimate aim of creating awareness that not only informs but also shapes action. During these conversations with participants across all streams and departments at UCL, bullying is often brought up as one of the most common unacceptable behaviours. Here we discuss the role of an active bystander in not just intervening in incidents of bullying, but also in understanding how to help victims seek justice or further action.
In 2021, UCL published its second annual report on Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct. This report was compiled of the reports made to Report + Support, UCL’s online reporting platform. Out of the 335 reports made to this platform between February 2020 and February 2021, bullying accounted for 53% of all reports.
The fact that bullying is a common occurrence on the UCL campus often comes as a shock to many of our participants. Needless to say, this stems from the fact that many of us cannot conceive of a diverse and dynamic academic space such as UCL to be simultaneously subject to behaviour that can jeopardise someone’s sense of safety as well as violate their personal dignity; this is only natural. However, one of the key steps of becoming an active bystander is to recognise that unacceptable behaviours can occur anytime and anywhere. This also forms one of the primary reinforcements of our workshops: anyone is capable of displaying unacceptable behaviour, and it is this awareness that encourages an active bystander to be constantly vigilant and use the tools available to them to counter bullying.
One of the most effective ways to counter bullying is to create a community where people feel empowered to tackle unacceptable behaviour. Our Active Bystander Programme is just one of the ways in which this can be achieved. Through this, we can create a community where people feel able to maintain individual and collective safety.
In honour of the National Anti-Bullying week, we wanted to highlight some of the most accessible and effective ways in which you can help address instances of bullying on the UCL campus:
• Remember you can always intervene in instances of bullying using any of our 4Ds of Safe Intervention: Direct Action, Distract, Delegate or Delay. Remember that your personal safety is one of our top priorities: only intervene if you feel safe doing so!
• Empower the victim to report the incident: inform them about the multiple avenues available to them. For example, they could use UCL’s Report + Support Platform or they could turn to Students’ Union UCL’s Advice Service for further support and guidance. However, remember the decision to report should always be the victims alone – you can help inform them how to report, but you should never pressure them to act either way.
• Make an active effort to understand the concerns that victims might have. Remember, bullying can cause both physical and psychological distress. Engage, listen, and understand the needs of the victim, even if they might significantly differ from what you would have done in the moment.
• Don’t dismiss or invalidate your own experiences or the experiences of those around Believe yourself when you register discomfort, and believe others when they say they need a helping hand.
One of the most effective ways to counter bullying is to create a community where people feel empowered to tackle unacceptable behaviour. Our Active Bystander Programme is just one of the ways in which this can be achieved. Through this, we can create a community where people feel able to maintain individual and collective safety.
While addressing unacceptable behaviours can be a daunting task, remember that there is strength in numbers; one action sparks a chain reaction. To empower is to set off a domino effect of finding power in your choices. To empower is find your voice and help others do the same.
Want to learn more about how you can be an active bystander? Why not complete our online module and sign-up to one of our live workshops? Our Active Bystander Programme aims to give you, as a student, the knowledge and practical skills to be an Active Bystander in your community – that is, learning to be aware of others' behaviours and, when the behaviour is inappropriate, choosing to challenge it in a safe way.