Sexual assault prevention is everyone’s responsibility Published July 30, 2010 By John Stuart Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- For too long, sexual assault prevention has focused on the victim -- putting the onus on those in jeopardy instead of those committing the acts. But at Tinker, stopping sexual assault where it starts is part of the new Bystander Intervention Training. While all branches of the military offer sexual assault awareness training, the Air Force is currently the only branch to field the bystander training. The training is mandatory for all Air Force personnel, who must enroll themselves for a one-time, 90-minute session offered three times per week. The training empowers bystanders to notice when potential inappropriate behavior is happening and to prevent it early on. The training also gives bystanders the tools to know how to react when they observe an actual sexual assault situation. The training suggests that bystanders have only three options for reacting to a sexual assault situation or potential situation: intervene, do nothing or contribute to the negative behavior. But while it seems there are three choices, doing nothing is actually contributing to the negative behavior, said Robyn Crowder with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program at Tinker. But the training helps individuals know how to properly intervene so they're prepared to act. Ms. Crowder is one of several people who will be responsible for administering bystander training to the some 8,100 military personnel at Tinker who are required to take the class. Crowder emphasized the fact that all military personnel must take the one-time training before June 30, 2012. Only 25 people may attend each class session at a time, so Airmen will not be able to wait until the final months before the deadline to take the class. She stressed taking the course as soon as possible. "The shift from focusing on victims to the offenders means we're changing a culture about who can intervene and how," Ms. Crowder said. "We consider it a community health issue rather than a violence issue." Based on research, most people require five to seven minutes to make an intervention decision, Ms. Crowder explained. The training seeks to drastically reduce that response time. Also, many people may succumb to a type of "pluralistic ignorance" in group situations, where they avoid doing what's right and instead yield to what others are doing. "We want people to intervene at earlier stages," Ms. Crowder said. "Most people recognize the serious incidents but they don't recognize the lead up to it." Finally, Ms. Crowder emphasized that leaders shoulder a large burden of responsibility for curbing sexual assault. "If we as leaders allow these things in our environment and don't stop them, eventually it leads to more serious things," Ms. Crowder said. "It's a leader's job then, to stop these things in the beginning, to not allow that climate of sexual assault to grow, to make it something that is not tolerated." Airmen must enroll themselves in the course. To do so, access the Tinker homepage portal and select the Quick Links tab. Click on More, then click on Wingman. Once in the Wingman portal, click on the appropriate links on the right to enroll in the Bystander Intervention Training.