A missing 16-year-old girl was able to save herself last week after she signalled to motorists using a hand gesture she learned on Tik Tok. The hand signal was created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation last year as a nonverbal cue to help victims of domestic abuse cases.

It’s been a year since we launched the #SignalForHelp with @JuniperParkTBWA.

It’s gone viral on TikTok, been reimagined by talented artists, and been shared by organizations around the world.

Thank you for joining the conversation on #GBV and #COVID19: https://t.co/EaqYCB1lkP pic.twitter.com/xKYjOZ2A99

— Canadian Women’s Foundation (@cdnwomenfdn) April 15, 2021

The signal involves tucking your thumb into your open palm, then closing your fingers down over your thumb. It was part of the Signal For Help campaign started by the Canadian Women’s Foundation, that spread across social media. It started as a way to alert others to possible troubles at home, when many people stayed at home due to the pandemic which resulted in a rise in domestic abuse cases.