Even though there is typically no legal obligation to help in an emergency, there is a moral responsibility that is associated with a bystander's lack of willingness to help someone without risking their own life yet choose not to. 

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There are different types of bystander, such as an ethical bystander who is someone who decides to take action when noticing something they consider to be dangerous, inappropriate or unjust. Some countries have adopted duty-to-rescue laws for citizens to assist people in distress, unless doing so can put themselves or others in danger. At minimum, citizens are required to call the local emergency number, unless doing so would be harmful, in which case the authorities should be contacted when the harmful situation has been removed. As of 2012, there were such laws in Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and Tunisia. However, there are also countries that do not implement a duty to rescue laws but laws known as Good Samaritan laws that protect citizens who provide assistance from being sued for inadvertently causing harm. 

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Regardless of rules and whether or not there is a legal framework in place to protect, there still is a moral obligation toward those in danger. This obligation does not necessarily equal a direct physical intervention - it is important to avoid risking our own personal safety when in a circumstance that involves external factors that may be outside the frame of our control - but an intervention nonetheless. When/if one becomes aware of a man/woman/child being physically harmed, or a co-worker suffering bullying, or an animal being hurt or neglected, or any living being, being faced with an immediate danger, either due to physical or psychological abuse or as a result of neglect and abandonment, they have an obligation to report it to the appropriate authorities. Depending on the nature of the incident, a first responder's initial reaction shoud be to report the incident to the police or call an official helpline and seek for advisement. However, the need for intervention is not restricted to an event in which someone is being harmed, but also in cases of verbal misconduct and defamation. For example, when a journalist or a TV presenter - typically obliged to formally maintain the principles of the deontological code for the journalistic profession - proceeds to violate any identified deontological provisions, viewers should raise any concerns they may have, using the appropriate channels that are resposible to take action as/if needed (e.g., The National Council for Radio and Television, The National Regulatory Authorities etc.). Another example would be to hear of or directly witness a co-worker suffering bullying; this calls for subtle handling where support can translate to acting as an ambassador of the measures in place for the person suffer bullying to use and protect themselves for verbal and/or mental abuse by a supervisor. 

 

By being a bystander there comes an indirect degree of complicity. Even if one does not directly participate in a completed act of injustice of an accomplice, by witnessing it, they are indirectly aiding, facilitating or encouraging the perpetrators of that act, and therefore share with them an intent to act to complete the act in question. As part of a community that is society as a whole, there is a moral obligation toward our fellow humans, to protect them using the appropriate means available at a given moment. 

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Injustice can happen to you; it can happen to all of us, or it may, at some point in time, have happened to some of us, and it's the sort of thing that can change you, in ways that are profound, radical and altogether life-changing. It can lead to all kinds of issues and disfunctions, spanning from counter performance to depression, and in some cases, even suicide. Take a moment to think of this. Right this minute, someone returning to home from work, could be contemplating jumping off the balcony because of how helpless they feel. This person may be experiencing direct bullying with some of the results including depression and major delay in their progress simply because their supervisor has - and is allowed to have - the authority to prevent their success. Someone could be considering leaving their family due to suffering physical abuse from a spouse or a parent. Now think of this; this person could be someone living in your apartment building or working in the office right next to you. The single one denominator in all of these examples, is that even though you may have heard or witnessed it some of it, you still chose not to do anything about it. And now think of this; you have successfully facilitated an act of injustice. And just because it did not happen to you, it doesn't mean that it never will, and just because it does not happen to you at the moment you witness it, it doesn't mean that you have no obligation toward the person sustaining it, and just because you are not the direct perpetrator, it doesn't mean that you have no active role in fostering it or are free of the responsibility to help.   

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BE THE VOICE OF SOMEONE WHOSE FEAR IS SILENCING THEM.
 

To help get a better understanding of the Bystander Effect, you can watch a short film that was written, directed and produced by Chiara Gizzi, and filmed and edited by Gareth Carr (© Fearless Soul). The storyline was inspired by the original story by Dr. Joerg Storm on LinkedIn. To learn more, see his post.

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You may also want to take a look at the following: 

Be an active bystander, University of Cambridge

Bystander Effect, Psychology Today

Don't be a bystander, The Council of Europe

What is the Bystander Effect?, Scientific American (YouTube)

The Bystander Effect (Examples + Experiments), Practical Psychology (YouTube)