This seemingly unassuming clip of women on a video call is an attempt to help victims of domestic abuse

Though the video is an advertisement of an initiative and doesn’t detail a real-life incident, it certainly gives a peek into the situations several people face every day.

Updated on: Jun 7, 2020, 20:38:31 IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Trisha Sengupta

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A clip of two women on a video call talking about a banana bread recipe has now garnered over 10 million views on Twitter. Though seemingly unassuming at first glance, this video shows how a victim of domestic abuse can call for help without letting their abusers know by using a specific hand gesture.

The image shows the woman signalling for help. (=Canadian Woman’s foundation)

In the video, one woman asks another for banana bread recipe. To this, the other person starts explaining with a big smile on her face. A few seconds into the video, the first woman makes a hand gesture that instantly wipes off the smile from the other woman’s face. The video ends with the instructions on how to make the signal.

Though the video is an advertisement of an initiative and doesn’t detail a real-life incident, it certainly gives a peek into the situations several people face every day. The initiative is launched by the Canadian Woman’s foundation and is called “Signal For Help”. It helps a person to silently show that they need help.

Take a look at the video:

With over 5.3 lakh likes and close to 6.1 lakh retweets, the video has sparked a lot of thoughts among people. While some wrote that this is a good tool for the victims to ask for help, others wrote that the abusers should be punished. There were a few who also suggested other ways to call for help.

“My stomach is in knots watching this,” wrote a Twitter user. “Abusers should be behind bars,” expressed another. Another individual shared a signal for help they saw at a doctor’s office:

“Please share this. Domestic abuse is one of the worst forms of human violence,” wrote another Twitter user urging people to share the video. “Watching this hurts, even though they said it’s just a commercial I wanna cry for her,” expressed a fourth.

As for another user of the micro-blogging site they wrote, “The thought of someone having to use this breaks my heart.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trisha Sengupta
Trisha Sengupta works as Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of experience in the digital newsroom. Known for her ability to decode the internet’s most talked-about moments, she specialises in high-engagement storytelling that bridges the gap between viral trends and traditional journalism. Throughout her tenure, Trisha has focused on the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. She frequently covers personal finance and real estate struggles in hubs like Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, while also documenting the unique challenges of the NRI experience. Her work often highlights the movements and philosophies of global newsmakers and personalities like Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Nikhil Kamath, Dubai crown prince, and MrBeast. From reporting on Amazon or Meta layoffs and startup culture to the emergence of AI-driven platforms like Grok and xAI, she provides a grounded and empathetic perspective on the stories shaping our world. When not decoding the internet, Trisha is likely offline: lost in a book, exploring a historical ruin, or navigating the world as a solo traveler. She balances her fast-paced career with family time and a healthy dose of curiosity, currently trading her "human" sources for silicon ones as she masters AI to future-proof her storytelling.Read More

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