Showing results for "blackstone" in Sexual Abuse & Harassment

For over two decades it's been public knowledge that there has been an ongoing problem with immigrant grooming gangs in the UK. Unfortunately, the prevailing "political correctness" and fear of being labelled "racist" caused social services, police, the court system, press, and politicians to dodge the issue, even going so far as labelling the victims as child-prostitutes and blaming them for their own abuse. Countless government reports and reviews over those decades were carried out, but successively the recommendations were ignored, side-lined, or defunded over time.

The #MeToo movement has revealed sexual abuse and assault in every sphere of society, including the church. But victims are routinely ignored by fellow Christians who deny their accounts and fail to bring accountability to the perpetrators. All too often, churches have been complicit in protecting abusers, reinforcing patriarchal power dynamics, and creating cultures of secrecy, shame, and silence.

Bystander intervention is simply overcoming that “freeze” instinct and getting back to the very human desire to take care of one another. It’s not about being the hero, strapping on spandex, and saving the day. And it certainly isn’t about sacrificing your own safety. From the nonprofit organization Hollaback!, I’ve Got Your Back teaches listeners the ins and outs of bystander intervention using Hollaback!’s methodology: the 5D’s of bystander intervention—distract, delegate, document, delay, and direct.