M’sian Identifies ‘Signal for Help’ at PJ Food Festival, Rescues Woman from Abusive Boyfriend

For those who may not know, there is a hand gesture called the ‘Signal for Help’, for those who are being abused to seek help without actually speaking up! This hand gesture is important as many victims cannot verbally call for help for various reasons.

This hand gesture consists of tucking your thumb into your palm and closing your fingers around it.

Malaysian, @hazrulhaliliceokaw, took to his TikTok page to share how he had spotted a woman making the gesture at a food festival in Petaling Jaya, and managed to rescue her from her abusive boyfriend.

He wrote, “The ‘help gesture’ that many still don’t know about. Kudos to those who helped the victim.”

In his video, Hazrul explained that he and his team had opened a booth for his company, Nourstella Group, at the food festival.

While they were working, he spotted the woman making the ‘Signal for Help’ behind her back while her boyfriend was distracted.

“I saw a woman making the help gesture and I noticed signs that she had been beaten badly, she had bruises and (was clearly) abused. Many don’t realise that this is the help gesture. If you see this, do not hesitate to help,” he said.

The woman could very clearly be seen making the signal behind her back.

“According to the story, the victim had been tied up, splashed with hot water and beaten. It was as though the suspect was under the influence of drugs. It is important for us to be alert of our surroundings,” he added.

At this point, he had called the police and recruited the help of the festival organisers as well as a fellow vendor to assist with separating the woman from her abusive boyfriend.

“Alhamdulillah, many people helped. Congratulations to everyone who helped. Even the food vendor was stalling as they took (the abusive boyfriend’s) order. It was clear that this was abuse and (that she was making) the help gesture,” Hazrul shared.

The abusive boyfriend soon realised that something was off and started to avoid the festival staff who were trying to stall him. Thankfully, the police then arrived and while the suspect started getting aggressive, he was successfully arrested and the victim was rescued.

You can check out the video of the incident here: 

@hazrulhaliliceokaw

Help gesture yg ramai masih tak tahu. Tahniah semua yg membantu mangsa. Semoga dipermudahkan urusan & harap keluarga mangsa kuat dgn ujian ni. Hero yg sebenar @shotlawei ? #womensrights #fyp #fypシ #xyzbca #kesdera #kaboomkarnival #pdrm #signalforhelp #sos

♬ Haruman Terindah – ꧁ ?.???_???????? ꧂

Kudos to Hazrul and his team for identifying the ‘Signal for Help’ as well as to everyone who assisted in protecting the woman.

You can find more information on the ‘Signal for Help’ here. 

Also read: Viral Video Shows M’sians Banding Together to Catch Snatch Thieves Preying on Foreign Woman in KL