what should you do if you are a witness?

Distract

It consists of acting without appearing to be. For example, going to see the victim pretending to be an acquaintance can stop the harassment. And if we are a man and we are afraid to pass for a second stalker, we address him directly and ask him if he could tell us the time. Thus, we capture his attention and the victim can leave.

To delegate

It is to seek a person who represents the authority (security guard, barmaid, waiter …). But it can also quite simply be a person who seems more able to handle the situation physically, if you are in the metro for example.

Document

Here, the role of the witness is to add evidence to the file of a victim who would like to file a complaint. It can be filming the scene, taking photos, making audio recordings, etc. It is important to give context: say the day, the date, film the metro stations, the names of the streets …

To manage

It is concretely to give an order to the stalker. This should be done in a precise and concise manner, speaking loudly if necessary, before asking the victim if they are okay, without coming into contact with the stalker again.

Dialogue

It is acting after the fact. Some assaults are rapid, as in the case of a touching in the subway, where the stalker can flee quickly. In these cases, you have to go see the victim to reassure and support her. We can emphasize to him that the gesture was serious, inappropriate but not his fault. It helps release fear and guilt.