When one studies bullying, and effective strategies to put a stop to bullying behavior, special focus is given not to the bully and the victim, but to the bystanders.  There are many bystanders, who witness the interchange between bully and victim, and may even witness physical violence, but take no action to intervene or get help.  The effective strategy to end bullying is empowering those bystanders to take action.  The bystanders must be taught that not only is bullying wrong, but that they have the power to stop it.  If one bystander was to go get help from an authority - that is one way to stop it.  But also, the action of one bystander standing up and speaking publicly, "No!  You will not do this, it is wrong." may stop the bully cold.  Especially if, encouraged by the single bystander, other bystanders also stand up and agree - the bully gets the clear message that his/her actions will not be tolerated.  When bystanders do nothing, they in effect condone the bully's actions, even if the bystander personally disagrees with the bully.

The key to ending bullying is to make sure that the bystanders - the witnesses to the actions of the bully - know that the bully is wrong, and feel comfortable taking action either against the bully, or to sup