https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/08/teenager-rescued-after-showing-domestic-violence-hand-signal-to-passing-motorist-police-say

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US news

Teen rescued after showing domestic violence hand signal known on
TikTok, police say

Kentucky driver called police after seeing 'female passenger making
hand gestures known to represent violence at home'

Cars drive on a US highway.
[ ]
A driver called police after spotting a girl making a hand gesture
that signals distress. Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/
Getty Images
A driver called police after spotting a girl making a hand gesture
that signals distress. Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/
Getty Images

Samantha Lock

Sun 7 Nov 2021 23.00 EST[ ]

Last modified on Mon 8 Nov 2021 17.10 EST

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A missing teenage girl was rescued in the US after using a hand
gesture that signals distress or domestic violence to capture the
attention of a passing driver.

The 16-year-old was spotted travelling inside a silver Toyota near
London, Kentucky, about 150 miles south-east of Louisville, on 4
November.

A driver called police after noticing "a female passenger in the
vehicle making hand gestures that are known on the social media
platform TikTok to represent violence at home - I need help -
domestic violence," the Laurel County Sheriff's Office said in a
statement on 6 November.

The caller noted that the girl "appeared to be in distress" and was
being driven by an older male.

Laurel sheriff's investigators positioned themselves to watch for the
passing Toyota and intercepted the vehicle as it exited the highway.
Deputies conducted a traffic stop and a subsequent investigation
revealed the teenager had been reported missing by her parents days
earlier.

    DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SIGNAL

    Isolation can increase the risk of violence at home. Use this
    discrete gesture during a video call to show you need help:

    1. Hold hand up with palm facing other person.
    2. Tuck thumb into palm.
    3. Fold fingers down over thumb. pic.twitter.com/gsIgSbXOmc

    -- Halton Police (@HaltonPolice) August 24, 2021

Police say the teenager told investigators that she traveled with the
man through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio. Authorities
allege she had been attempting to get motorists' attention to call
911.

Following the police stop, James Herbert Brick, 61, was arrested at
the scene and charged with unlawful imprisonment, the sherrif's
office said. He remains in custody.

The gesture reportedly used by the teenager to signal violence or
distress is believed to have been first introduced by the Canadian
Women's Foundation last year. It has been adopted by women around the
world who need to discreetly ask for help, or show they are in
distress.

The gesture is a hand up, palm out, with the thumb tucked, then
folding the fingers down.

In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In
the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247,
or visit Women's Aid. In Australia, the national family violence
counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines
may be found via www.befrienders.org.

Topics

  * US news

  * Kentucky
  * TikTok
  * Domestic violence
  * news

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