SAPR office starts bystander intervention training

  • Published
  • By Connie Hempel
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office here will soon begin its Bystander Intervention Training, giving Team Goodfellow the skills needed to intervene and prevent sexual assaults.

"In the BIT, Airmen will learn how to recognize when a situation could get out of bounds and the techniques for stepping in and helping," said Donna Casey 17th Training Wing SAPR manager. "We want to stop these incidents before they occur and result in a sexual assault."

Mrs. Casey said that each squadron will have their own class, which is currently being scheduled by unit training managers.

BIT will replace the current annual sexual assault training, which taught the reporting cycle, response and accountability, and the sexual assault response coordinators' role.

"The new training focuses on educating and providing Airmen with the right skills to help intervene in potential assaults because a bystander can prevent a sexual assault before it even happens," Mrs. Casey said. "Statistics show that 60 percent of sexual assaults reported each year could have been prevented if a bystander had stepped in."

By teaching the bystanders what to look for, they will feel more prepared and will be more likely to step in, she added.

"Intervening asks a lot of a person and until you know what to look for and how to help, you're less likely to step into an uncomfortable situation," Mrs. Casey said.

The Air Force views sexual assault as a crime and it can be very traumatic for a victim. According to Air Force Instruction 36-6001, it is defined as intentional sexual contact, characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation, abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent. Sexual assault includes rape, forcible sodomy and other unwanted sexual contact that is aggravated, abusive or wrongful, or attempts to commit these acts.

The new BIT is mandatory for all military members and civilians who supervise military members, but Mrs. Casey said her goal is to have everyone on Goodfellow trained by December 2011.

For more information on the course, call Goodfellow's SAPR office at (325) 654-1571/1572/1573. If you need immediate assistance from the SAPR office, call their crisis line at (325) 654-1570.