Soteria Solutions

05/07/2026

Grateful to the 27th Special Operations Wing, Cannon Air Force Base N.M. for hosting a powerful Bringing in the Bystander® Train-the-Trainer workshop. Thank you so much to Elaine Gard and Marvin Cox for coordinating this training!

The real conversations in this training matter. When participants can openly explore real-world scenarios and be honest about implementation challenges, they’re tending to the root of the challenges they’re working to prevent – instead of wasting effort on the symptoms. They leave better prepared, empowered, and resourced to lead meaningful change through BITB.

Stronger teams. Safer communities. Mission ready.

Ready to host your own BITB for your installation? Contact us today!

05/04/2026

Final call to join us May 12–13 for our next BITB Train-the-Trainer workshop. Registration closes Tuesday, May 5!

We know prevention professionals are balancing a lot, so we’ve added later training hours to make this more accessible.

Our BITB Train-the-Trainer will help you:
-Navigate challenging facilitation moments with confidence
-Facilitate conversations that don’t shut participants down
-Walk away ready to implement BITB on your campus

Spots are limited and filling quickly.
👉 Register now: https://bit.ly/4uc1po

04/27/2026

We’re so grateful to Carthage College for hosting an incredible in-person Bringing in the Bystander® Train-the-Trainer workshop with our Lead Trainers, Kate Rohdenburg and Kaleigh Cornelison.

A few reflections from participants:

- “The interactive activities and this curriculum approach are relatable for everyone.”
- “There are many people on this campus who care ... we don't have to solve gender-based violence overnight.”
- “The instructors did a great job teaching this information and making everyone feel comfortable and heard.”

We loved the opportunity to learn, connect, and grow alongside you and we’re excited to see the impact you'll make by implementing this training on your campus.

Thank you again, Carthage College, for your partnership and leadership in this work!

04/17/2026

Soteria Solutions is proud to serve as a CommUNITY Partner Sponsor for this year’s 2026 Field-Generated National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW). We’re honored to support this important work and to stand alongside advocates, survivors, and leaders committed to strengthening victims’ rights nationwide.

Our President, Jane Stapleton, will be attending in person for this CommUNITY Day, and can’t wait to connect with many of you there!

April 21 | CommUNITY Day – Washington, DC

Join Jane and others for a Field-Generated NCVRW CommUNITY Day, in partnership with the U.S. Congressional Crime Survivors & Justice Caucus.

📍 Washington, DC | Livestream Available

Together, we are raising our voices to strengthen victims’ rights and support communities nationwide.

04/06/2026

Turning Promises into Protection at Sea

“Zero tolerance only” policies can inadvertently suppress reporting; individuals may fear consequences ranging from job loss for themselves to others, ostracization and isolation, and additional incidents of harassment. This leads to the minimization or normalization of harmful behavior, as such policies prioritize punitive responses after incidents occur, diverting attention from proactive, preventative strategies that could reduce the likelihood of harassment or bullying. Moreover, by framing misconduct primarily as an individual failure, zero tolerance approaches overlook the structural, cultural, and organizational factors that facilitate and sustain harmful behaviors.

Read the latest reflection from Soteria Solutions here: https://www.soteriasolutions.org/blog-posts/turning-promises-into-protection-at-sea

04/01/2026

This week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted 2-1 to rescind a nearly 200-page document - a comprehensive workplace resource outlining what constitutes unlawful harassment based on protected characteristics. The rescission followed an Executive Order directing federal agencies to withdraw guidance deemed inconsistent with a binary definition of s*x — specifically, that men are biologically male and women are biologically female.

NPR's Andrea Hsu reports that "... federal anti-discrimination laws haven't changed. But the fear is that without official guidance explaining what is unlawful, harassment on the job will be harder to stop" - especially in cases involving gender diversity.

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/24/nx-s1-5685124/eeoc-withdraws-previous-harassment-guidance

03/30/2026

The California Court of Appeal for the Fifth District held that an employer’s response, or lack thereof, to an employee complaint of offsite harassment is sufficient to state a claim for hostile work environment under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”). This holds even when that off-site harassment by a nonsupervisory employee is not work-related and not attributable to the employer.

Out of "site" is not out of mind.

https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2025/f087809.html

03/27/2026

“An apology without changed behavior is just a manipulation tactic.”
https://www.upworthy.com/pn-man-at-bar-buys-stranger-a-drink/

The article “A Man at a Bar Bought a Rude Stranger a Drink—and Used It as a Lesson About Consent” tells the story of a bystander who, after seeing a man get angry when a woman refused to go home with him after he bought her a drink, flipped the script; buying the man a shot and asking if he’d now go home with him. The role reversal exposed the flawed belief that buying a drink creates an obligation for intimacy and forced the man to confront his entitlement.

Moments like this challenge what psychologists call the bystander effect, the tendency for people to stay silent or disengage when they witness harmful behavior. Social norms – especially rigid expectations surrounding masculinity and entitlement – often reinforce this silence, encouraging men to excuse harm, minimize consent, or prioritize protecting other’s reputation vs holding them accountable. Instead of ignoring the situation, the prosocial bystander disrupted that dynamic by making the behavior visible & uncomfortable, putting himself in the role of potentially perpetrating violence.

It’s important to recognize the privilege that made this intervention possible. The confidence to confront someone in a public space is not equally available to everyone. An individual with identities that are frequently dismissed, marginalized, or targeted by physical harassment themselves may not feel the same safety or social power to intervene, regardless of the situation.

The story gained traction on TikTok, using their platform to model a different kind of accountability – one that prioritizes respect & action. Telling these stories publicly encourages scrollers to rethink how they might respond and how to challenge the norms that reinforce this harm.

Meaningful requires us to confront our own socialization, biases, and privilege, especially the cultural narratives that normalize entitlement and dismiss bodily autonomy. Real accountability means more than apologizing; it means recognizing systems that shape behavior and actively choosing to challenge them.

A TikTok video about a bar bystander who used a single shot glass to dismantle one man's entitlement.

03/25/2026

Data from the World Bank Gender Data Portal Global demonstrates that women now make up roughly 40% of the global labor force, reflecting steady increases in women’s participation across sectors over the past several decades. While this progress is often framed as evidence of greater inclusion, inclusion alone does not guarantee equity. Simply bringing more women into workplaces that were not designed with their safety, advancement, and lived realities in mind can reproduce and sometimes intensify existing harms. Without structural change, “inclusion” risks becoming a superficial metric rather than a meaningful commitment to equitable participation and success.

As per the BIMCO/ICS 2021 Seafarer Workforce Report, women are estimated to represent less than 2% of the global seafaring workforce. Many women working in maritime and other traditionally male-dominated industries still encounter challenges related to workplace culture and safety. Approximately 50% of women seafarers globally report experiencing bullying and harassment in the workplace (Workplace bullying and harassment at sea: A structured literature review). When organizations prioritize representation without addressing culture, power dynamics, and accountability systems, marginalized employees may be present but remain unsupported, isolated, or exposed to greater risk.

Prevention plays an important role in addressing these challenges. Creating workplaces where employees feel safe enough to speak up, support one another, and intervene when harm occurs strengthens the entire organization.

Sustainable culture change happens when organizations invest not only in policies but also in prevention strategies that build the skills, shared accountability, and confidence needed to foster respectful workplaces. When prevention is paired with structural changes that support equity (including transparent advancement pathways, responsive reporting systems, and leadership accountability), inclusion can move beyond representation to create environments where all employees are positioned to thrive.

02/27/2026

Abuse doesn’t stay in one place; it follows survivors into the workplace.

In our newest write up we focus on a new national report that found:
- 79% of survivors said abuse made it harder to work
- 53% never disclosed their situation
- Fear of retaliation, job loss, and stigma keep employees silent

When workplaces lack training and clear policies, they may unknowingly reinforce the very barriers that keep survivors trapped.

Organizations that adopt trauma-informed practices and survivor-centered policies foster trust, enhance retention, and cultivate safer, more resilient teams.

Supporting survivors isn’t just compassionate leadership; it’s smart organizational strategy.

Read the full write up here:

A national report shows how domestic and s*xual violence affect employee safety, performance, and economic stability. Because many survivors remain silent due to fear or stigma, workplaces often miss the root causes of absenteeism & turnover. Trauma-informed training and survivor-centered polici