HELP DESK
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SIGNAL FOR HELP?
Image credit: EMRE KESHAVARZ on Pexels.
HELP! It can be a lethal word to say out loud for many – especially women, girls, and gender-diverse people in precarious situations of gender-based violence (GBV).
In many cultures, including the South Asian diaspora, talking about things like intimate partner violence and sexual abuse are still taboo. Cultural and social norms can prevent the cycle of violence from being broken for fear of the stigma and repercussions that can come from speaking out. This ultimately prevents those experiencing violence from getting the safety they need now, and rebuilding their lives for the future.
Research also shows that GBV risk can increase during crisis situations like a pandemic. During the last three months of 2020, Canada’s Assaulted Women’s Helpline received 20,334 calls – that’s nearly double the calls from that same time period in 2019. Domestic disturbance calls to police saw a similar spike. Among the top 10 languages utilizing interpretation services included Bengali, Farsi, Punjabi and Arabic.
Knowing that the risk of violence would likely increase during the pandemic, and accounting for the increased isolation and increased use of video calling, the Canadian Women’s Foundation developed the Signal for Help in April 2020. It’s a simple, silent, one-handed gesture someone can use to show they want someone to check in on them safely. The signal includes displaying an open palm with the thumb tucked in, then closing your fingers over the thumb to trap it in.
“Chances are that everyone knows a survivor of gendered violence like physical, sexual, or emotional abuse,” says Paulette Senior, President and CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation.
The Foundation also recently learned of the story of a missing 16-year-old in North Carolina making the Signal for Help out of a car window, and a suspect was arrested. The Signal might not have been recognized by the fellow driver calling 911, but they did see she was in distress. What matters is that she got the help she needed in this context of immediate danger.
It’s important to recognize any signs or signals that someone needs help, and to be ready and equipped to respond in a non-judgmental manner. This violence is common, often behind closed doors between people in relationships. People generally do not report it to authorities, and it often escalates in severity over time.
But how many people know what to do when they see a signal for help? That’s the big question the Foundation is answering with its upcoming Signal for Help Responder education campaign starting November 25.
“Offering judgement-free support is something we can all prepare ourselves for. We encourage everyone to visit SignalResponder.ca and become a Signal for Help Responder,” Senior says.
Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence launches on November 25, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and runs until December 10, Human Rights Day.
Points to ponder:
A national poll conducted by the Canadian Women’s Foundation identifies very low levels of confidence in knowing what to say and do to support someone experiencing gender-based violence. The survey found about two thirds (64%) of people in Canada know a woman who has experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.
Only 1 in 6 people in Canada are very confident that they would know what to say or do to support someone experiencing sexual or emotional abuse.
And only 1 in 5 are very confident that they would know what to say or do to support someone experiencing physical abuse.
More specifically, only a fifth (19%) are very confident that they would know supportive things to say to someone experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, and only a quarter (26%) are very confident that they would know how to refer someone to helpful and reliable support services.