The case of one Sarah Everard sparked a worldwide debate about the safety of women, with people sharing stories on social media about different types of abuse they went through.
And, some men have been looking for advice on how to change their attitude to help make women feel safer out in public; and, thousands of other people have shared useful methods to get help and support.
One of them is this international hand sign. This gesture was developed when countries went into lockdown last year because of the pandemic and everything was happening online.
The New International Sign for ‘I Need Help’
This simple, but helpful hand gesture appeared last year when the pandemic started as a way to address the rise in domestic violence, especially because people mostly stayed home.
The gesture was developed by the Women’s Funding Network and the Canadian Women’s Foundation. The goal was to enable this sign to be silently shown during video calls as an alert for family, colleagues, and friends in need of help.
It may also be used in other situations, for example, when answering the door. The sign is very simple-you life the palm up and tuck the thumb in and close the fingers.
Since its launch, this hand gesture has become known globally, mostly because of social media.
According to CEO of Woman’s Funding Network, Elizabeth Barajas-Roman, this signal for help is helpful because it’s non-verbal and usable regardless of one’s culture or language.
Other Signs You Can Use when You Need Help
In January, there was an announcement that pharmacies launched a codeword scheme as help for victims of domestic abuse in lockdown. It’s been rolled out in Boots stores and private pharmacies.
Namely, if a victim asks for ANI (Action Needed Immediately), the trained pharmacy worker will offer to take this person aside and help them discreetly by calling the police or domestic abuse services.
According to Mark Lyonette, the chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, community pharmacies are more than only pills-they’re about people. And, the need for supporting and helping victims of abuse is essential and they want to be of aid.
The ANI alert mechanism is a discreet way to help support the vulnerable in our society.
Ask for Angela is another initiative to help avert sexual violence.
It was launched in 2016 and it’s intended for hospitality venues.
There are usually posters in toilets informing the customers they can ‘Ask for Angela’ from a member of their staff. This is actually a code word that alerts the employees that this person feels threatened or unsafe.
iPhones also have a feature that allows you to make an emergency call and share your location in the same time.
From the iPhone 8 onwards, you press and hold the side button and either volume button to make this call. This is when the SOS slider will appear and you can drag it to call emergency services.
If you keep holding down the buttons, a countdown will start and a loud alert sounds. If you keep holding the buttons until the countdown ends, the phone will automatically make the emergency call.
On the earlier models, you can access the SOS slider by rapidly pressing the side button 5 times.
After contacting the emergency services, the phone will trigger your emergency contacts with a message saying you’re in an emergency and your current location.
The emergency contacts can be set by editing the medical ID in iPhone’s health app. Even if your location services are off, it will work.
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