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THE BYSTANDER

Laura Noonan
Its a question you never want to know the answer to. What would you do if
someone keeled over in front of you? If you saw a suspicious man lead a
small child away from a playground? If a lady was begging for help behind the
front door of your neighbours house?
Charles Ramsay took action. He kicked a hole in his neighbours front door,
allowing Amanda Barry to escape and ring the authorities. It was then
revealed that his actions meant two more women could escape from being
held captive in Ariel Castros house. The women had been there for ten years,
and were considered dead.
In a case full of happy reunions and unanswered questions, there is one thing
for certain- not everyone would have done what Ramsay did. He avoided the
Bystander Effect, and is being considered a hero for doing so.
According to Hudson and Brookmans study The Bystander Effect: A Lens
For Understanding Patterns Of Participation, the bystander effect is described
as the reason why individuals are less likely to help in an emergency if others
are present.
One would like to think that in the case of a life being at risk, you would do
anything to save a stranger. Jai Warren from the Sunshine Coast recalls a
time where he stepped up and took action to save a strangers life.
I watched a girl fall off the rocks at Gardner Falls and hit her head pretty bad.
Myself, her brother and her friend were the only ones to help, while a bunch of
adults stood around watching. We ended up stabilizing her and helping her to
the ambulance, they all still stood around though. None of them offered to
help.
So why didnt more people lend a hand? There are a variety of reasons.
According to a study by Princeton University, bystanders will often assume
that the victim is already receiving help, or that help is on the way.
Bystanders might also presume from the general calmness that it actually isnt
an emergency, and that there is no need for drastic action. Some experts
claim that witnesses see the victim as powerless, and dont want to upset the
person perpetrating the crime.
Emergency situations may not seem like assistance is even required.
Bystanders will notice a thief run away with a handbag, or walk passed
someone who has tripped over. These situations on a shallow level may not
seem like they are worth helping a fellow human being out on. However, the
bystander effect can have terrible consequences resulting from inaction.
The case that coined the phrase happened in the 1960s, when Kitty
Genovese was attacked and murdered in her building in New York City. When

authorities questioned witnesses who didnt help, one of them summed up the
general attitude. I didnt want to be involved.
This attitude has been repeated in a plethora of cases, even cases that end in
rape and murder. In 2009, a 15 year-old girl was raped repeatedly at her local
high school. The assistant principal noticed a large group of men without
identification hanging out near the scene of the crime. He went back to work.
In France, Ilan Halimi was tortured for 24 days, in plain sight of the
neighbours. Not only did the neighbours not report the crime, some of them
contributed.
How can society avoid this effect? As Kittys brother Vincent points out,
everyone these days has access to a mobile. He even advocates not getting
involved, but argues there is no reason someone cannot call emergency
services.
Practical applications include in the case of a medical emergency, specifically
pointing to a person to ring an ambulance. This offers responsibility to the
person and puts them on the spot, meaning they are less likely to do nothing.
But with all good intentions, currently there is no law forcing people to act
when they see an emergency. California has introduced some legislation,
making it illegal to not report a crime against a child. Queensland has the
Good Samaritan Act 2007, which offers legal protection to those who help
someone injured, ill or generally incapable of helping themselves.
While this may encourage good behaviour, there is still no duty to rescue in
Australia. In Germany, failure to provide assistance in an emergency is a legal
offense. In the time it takes to have such a discussion on a piece of legislation
regarding the duty of care Australians should or should not provide, there is
one very simple act that does not need passing.
Its the act of not just standing there.

SOURCES
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327809jls1302_2#.UYnRSuSCi0
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/07/cleveland-kidnappingimportance-neighbors
http://neuron4.psych.ubc.ca/~schaller/Psyc591Readings/GarciaWeaverMosko
witzDarley2002.pdf
Jai Warren- 0408817706
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/28/california.gang.rape.bystander/index.
html?_s=PM:CRIME
http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/Bills/52PDF/2007/CivilGSAB07Exp_P.pdf
http://listverse.com/2009/11/02/10-notorious-cases-of-the-bystander-effect/

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