A person recognized the signal from TikTok, and knew it was no ordinary wave
A girl reported missing from Asheville, N.C., and in distress in the passenger seat of a car traveling through Kentucky appeared to be waving through the window to passing cars. But one person in a nearby car recognized the signal from TikTok and knew it was no ordinary wave.
The hand gestures used by the teen have been popularized and “represent violence at home – I need help – domestic violence,” the sheriff’s office said. A witness in a car driving behind recognized the hand signals and told dispatchers the teen appeared to be in “distress.”
The signal, created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation for people to indicate that they are at risk of abuse and need help, has spread largely through TikTok in the past year.
The Canadian Women’s Foundation says an international, universal signal for help in a case of domestic violence or other distress can be made with one hand. Face your palm forward and with your thumb tucked in, then close your other fingers over your thumb to “trap” it.
The sign does not necessarily mean you must call authorities immediately, the foundation notes, but rather it indicates, “reach out to me safely.”
“I don’t think any of us realized what that was,” Gilbert Acciardo, public affairs officer for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said. “But we certainly do now.” Officer Acciardo praised the girl for using the gesture, which he said would be a useful tool for victims if it were universally known. “This is probably the best thing I’ve seen come along in the 48 years I’ve been a patrol officer,” he said.
Millions of people have seen videos featuring the signal on TikTok and YouTube, while organizations including the World Bank and the Women’s Funding Network have promoted it since April 2020. It began as a Covid-era lifeline for women in abusive relationships, intended to be used on video calls as a signal that others should check in on them.
The Canadian Women’s Foundation advises that anyone who sees the signal should not necessarily immediately call the authorities, but should instead reach out safely, if possible, to the person who used it. The signal does not correspond to anything in American Sign Language, so it relies on general awareness to be effective.
“It is a relief to hear that somebody was able to use the signal in a very dangerous situation and that somebody knew how to respond,” Andrea Gunraj, the Canadian Women’s Foundation’s vice president of public engagement, said.
When officials at the foundation were deciding what the signal should be, she said, they settled on one that they believed was easy to do and would be visible on a video call. Ms. Gunraj said that while it was encouraging that the signal was becoming more widely known, there was more outreach and public education to be done.
“We’re very aware that as many as these situations that you might hear about in the news, there’s going to be thousands more that will never make the news that will be shrouded in silence because they happen behind closed doors,” Ms. Gunraj said.
People are advised to use the hand signal discreetly on web cameras or in other situations when they cannot freely speak about a dangerous situation or call for help.
“The Signal for Help is a tool that may help some people, some of the time. Some people do not have the ability to make video calls. Please find other resources, services, and programs… that may be helpful in an unsafe situation at home,” The Foundation notes.
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/-a5dyLzigb4
- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/us/tiktok-hand-signal-abduction.html
- https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/2021/11/08/asheville-nc-missing-girl-tiktok-hand-signs-kentucky/6340061001/
- https://hub.jhu.edu/2022/02/07/sisofficial-feminism-tiktok/
- https://readloud.net/
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