Review of bystander approaches in support of preventing violence against women

Violence against women is a major public health problem and its prevalence remains unacceptably high in Australia. One in three women experience physical violence, and almost one in five experience sexual violence in their lifetime, most often from an intimate male partner. When witnessing an incident of violence, sexism or discrimination against women, an individual, or bystander, makes a decision as to whether to take some form of action to intervene or not. This report provides a systematic review of the research literature and theoretical origins of bystander approaches to preventing violence against women.