We got to use a translation app today, although I’m not sure which one it was. We were in Walmart and needed to find something over in housewares, but went to the produce section first. As I was getting what I needed, my husband leaned over to talk quietly to a young gal who had a 4-5 year old child in her cart. My husband told her that he had been watching a guy circling around, looking at her and smiling. So he asked her, “Do you two know each other?” She told him she didn’t speak English well, but held up her phone and had him speak into it. So he asked her again. She responded, “No.” Being an ex-cop, my husband had kicked back into cop mode, “Protect and serve.” He told her he just thought something didn’t look right, which is why he asked if she knew the guy. She said the guy had been following her around and smiling at her, that she felt he was stalking her and she got scared, but wasn’t sure what to do. We told her she needed to let Walmart management know, and to definitely have someone walk her to her car, either management should, or we would, but that we would stay with her until she was safe. She was trembling she was so scared. She called her husband and had him come meet her.
I walked with her to the Asset Security guy and we told him the situation. He told us we’d have to have a clerk call the manager. While my husband went and picked up an item we needed, I took her to find a manager and was asking the asset guy how to find the manager. While we were talking to the asset guy, the stalker guy walked by and looked at her again (longer than just a passing glance), but then left the store. When my husband got back to us, he walked outside to make sure the stalker had left and didn’t see him, but told her that didn’t mean he hadn’t gotten into a car and was sitting there waiting. We stayed with the girl until her husband got there.
I don’t know if she had been using Google Translate or another translation app, because all the communication was on her phone, but it worked great as we talked back and forth with her, and her husband when he got there. So I am very, very thankful that that technology is available. Who knows what could have happened had we not been able to communicate with her, had my husband not been suspicious of the guy in the first place, and had she not trusted us enough to help her.
Just a good reminder to always keep an eye out on your surroundings. I always see so many people just looking down at their phones or concentrating on what they’re doing. Even I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around me, just concentrating on what I was looking for, until my husband talked to her. I’m also going to start looking at hands, as I’ve seen an awful lot lately on FB of women and kids signaling SOS with their hands behind their backs or by their sides, mostly in other countries, but still, it’s a good thing to be aware of (and teach kids).
yeah… which signal have you seen? Is it the one with folding the thumb first and then fingers over it, or something different?
it’s tough because my daughter needs a lot of supervision (and she has a tracker watch) but she’s also trying to be more independent and I want to / have to support that. It’s a real challenge! (Exhausting, too.)
There is a specific, widely-recognized hand signal designed to be used by people who are under duress and need help.
The signal, known as the “Signal for Help,” was created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation in 2020 in response to the rise in domestic violence cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was designed to be a discreet way for individuals to silently communicate that they are in danger, particularly during a video call, but it can also be used in person.
How to perform the Signal for Help:
Hold one hand up with your palm facing outward.
Tuck your thumb into your palm.
Fold your four fingers down over your thumb, trapping it.
This continuous motion of “trapping” the thumb is meant to be easily visible and recognizable.
The signal has gained widespread international recognition through social media and has been credited with helping to save lives. It’s important to remember that if you see someone use this signal, it means they need you to reach out to them safely, not necessarily to call the authorities immediately. You should try to contact them through another method, like a text or email, and ask “yes” or “no” questions to assess their needs. However, if you believe the person is in immediate, life-threatening danger, you should call emergency services right away.
Yes, the “sos” in sign language. Or the person will drop something or bump into someone and make the signal. They usually are holding their hand behind their back or down at their side.