SHARP experiments with WWYD

Photo By Ferdinand Detres Jr | Some might be familiar with the American Broadcasting Company television show titled, "What Would You Do?" The show hosted by, John Quinones, is based on skits that are set up and secretly recorded to see how unknowing bystander react to conflicting situations. The skits which are based on sensitive issues like, race, sex and religion, focus their attention on people intervening. Anita Perry, 501st Sustainment Brigade, Victim Advocate , decided to take that same approach to see if the Army Sexual Harassment Assault Response and Prevention program is proving effective. Earlier this month, Perry along with a team of actors and SHARP representatives played out different scenarios at the Camp Carroll food court during lunch time.  

CAMP CARROLL, 11, SOUTH KOREA

05.05.2015

Story by Sgt. Ferdinand Detres Jr 

501st Sustainment Brigade

CAMP CARROLL, South Korea - Some might be familiar with the American Broadcasting Company television show titled, "What Would You Do."

The show hosted by, John Quinones, is based on skits that are set up and secretly recorded to see how unknowing bystander react to conflicting situations. The skits which are based on sensitive issues like, race, sex and religion, focus their attention on people intervening.

Anita Perry, 501st Sustainment Brigade, victim advocate, decided to take that same approach to see if the Army Sexual Harassment Assault Response and Prevention program is proving effective. Earlier this month, Perry along with a team of actors and SHARP representatives played out different scenarios at the Camp Carroll food court during lunch time.

"In the Army not every Soldier is built with the innate ability to react right away in an uncomfortable situation. Some people have to analyze a situation," said Perry.

The actors ranged in rank, age, sex and race, in order to get a fair picture of the experiment.

"We had a lot of intervention. We had privates all the way to majors intervene," Perry said. "The reason I wanted to do this was to show people there are more than a few ways to intervene to a situation. Directly, indirectly or even getting someone else to assist are all options people may use."

Being that the small experiment proved to be a success to the participants and the SHARP representatives, Perry has plans in the works to take the program to other bases within the peninsula.

"This is the first time we did this, but it definitely won't be the last, It received so much positive feedback," said Perry. "If there are people who need some training on intervening, we will provide that training on the spot. We don't want to correct them, we want to train them."

SHARP training continues being one of the Army's top priorities in trying to rid its ranks of offenders.

There were 2,149 sexual assault cases reported in the Army in FY13 (1,831 unrestricted, 318 restricted). The number of reports was 51% higher than FY12 according to Dr. Christine Altendorf, director, U.S. Army SHARP program.

"The acceptance of sexual harassment was different 15 years ago. Had we did this in 2001, nobody would have intervened. The climate is changing and has changed," said Perry.

Perry is planning to do another SHARP WWYD event sometime this summer on a larger scale and with the participation of more actors.

• Date Taken: 05.05.2015
• Date Posted: 05.05.2015 05:39
• Story ID: 162235
• Location: CAMP CARROLL, 11, KR