Thanks to the 5Ds, developed by Right To Be, you can learn how to combat street harassment and other forms of inappropriate behaviour. Join the city's community of active bystanders!
Have you ever witnessed inappropriate behaviour such as harassment, insults or inappropriate comments... In short, a situation in which one person clearly crosses boundaries with another?
It is often difficult to react as a target or as a witness. You want to say or do something, but that is not always possible. Perhaps you are afraid of what others will think or you fear doing something wrong. Perhaps the risk seems too great for you. It is also difficult to be the first to react when other witnesses do not take action themselves...
Thanks to the 5Ds, you will learn how to combat street harassment and other forms of inappropriate behaviour:
Distract
1. Ignore the person who is harassing and immediately engage in conversation with the person being harassed.
2. Do not talk about or refer to the harassment that is taking place. Instead, talk about something completely different.
For example, pretend you know the person being harassed, ask what time it is, or create a distraction without necessarily engaging in conversation: be creative!
Delegate
1. Find someone who is willing to help. Often, the person right next to you is a good choice.
2. When you ask someone to help you, try to explain as clearly as possible what you or the victim is going through and how you want them to help.
Document
1. Assess the situation. Is anyone helping the person being harassed? If not, use one of the other 5Ds. Recording someone's experience as a victim without ensuring that help is offered can only cause additional trauma. If someone else is already helping, assess your own safety, and if you are safe, start documenting. This can be done by filming, recording the conversation, taking a photo, or simply noting down useful information or committing it to memory so that you can share it afterwards.
2. Always ask the person who was harassed what they want you to do with your recording and/or notes. Never post it online or use it without their consent.
Delay
Try to isolate the victim. Even if you were unable to intervene at the time, you can still make a big difference afterwards by checking in with the person to see how they are doing. Many forms of harassment happen quickly, so immediate action is not always possible. By checking in with the victim afterwards to see if there is anything you can do for them, you can help reduce their stress or trauma.
Let them know that you saw what happened and that it was not okay, and suggest, for example, staying with the victim until someone they know arrives.
Direct
Intervening immediately can be risky, as the situation could get out of hand or put you in danger. Therefore, think carefully before you say or do anything. Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I physically safe?
- Is the person being harassed physically safe?
- Does the situation seem unlikely to escalate?
- Does the person being harassed want someone to intervene?
If you can answer 'yes' to all these questions, immediate intervention may be an option.
Keep your intervention short and clear. Avoid discussion or debate, as this can worsen the situation. If the perpetrator does respond, focus entirely on the victim - not the perpetrator.
Register for one of the training courses organised by the City's partners.
A network of trainers
Under its 'Nothing without my consent' action plan, the City's Equal Opportunities Service, together with the non-profit organisation Bravvo, developed a bystander training programme to provide residents of Brussels with tools to act as witnesses to street harassment.
In 2024, local associations were called upon to strengthen the training network.
Eight partner associations responded to the call and have been organising regular bystander training sessions since 2025:
- External siteLa Maison de l'Initiative Citoyenne - contact@mic-hbi.be
- External sitePromo Jeunes AMO - m.murillo@promojeunes.be
- External siteLe Service d'Education et de Formation Populaire - tiffany.renard@sefop.org
- External siteSoHab - c.fauquet@sohab.be - c.noel@sohab.be
- External siteL'épicerie sociale les Capucines - charlotte.gunther@capucines.be
- External siteLe Comité de la Samaritaine - colis@comitesamaritaine.be
- External siteBazaar Trottoir - hello@bazaartrottoir.be
- External siteUn Cœur un Espoir - audrey_mundine@yahoo.fr
Training schedule
Awaiting new dates!
You can also take an online course with External siteStand Up.
Would you like a free Stand Up session at your school, company, institution, or even for you and your friends? Online or face-to-face? Contact External siteTouche pas à ma Pote!
