DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SIGNAL FOR HELP?

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.

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).

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. 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. 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.

 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? Senior said, “We encourage everyone to visit SignalResponder.ca and become a Signal for Help Responder.”