Do you know the universal sign for "I need help?"

If you notice the sign the best initial response would probably to greet the young woman as if she were someone you knew but hadn’t seen recently. Some men might be put off by that, others, I realise, would not be. More than once I have been approached on trains by young women asking quietly to sit next to me as some random man was bothering them. I immediately chatted away as though she were a friend of my family. Also at my local bus stop a teenaged girl asked me to walk with her as two other girls had got off the bus with the intention of bullying her. I didn’t recognise her but she may have known me by sight as she turned out to live on the same road.
I am glad those young women felt confident enough to ask for help.

Quercus

I would love to see this tried out by a journalist to see how many random strangers actually responded, and if so how.

I saw some youngsters doing it on YouTube.

One girl responded by rushing back, throwing her arms around the girl and making a fuss of her as if she was a long lost friend. The 'abductor' started making a fuss and trying to pull the 'abductee' away then pretended to run off.

An older woman just brushed her shoulder where she had been bumped and gave the girl a glare. She probably didn't even recognise the sign and thought the girl had rudely bumped into her.

In another one was a girl being pushed into a car. A passing couple saw the help sign and both rushed to help - the man looked like he was going to beat the 'abductor' to a pulp before they owned up to what was happening.

I don't think people are expected to rush in and help - just take notice and report it to bring help.

i knew about the ask angela, they have videos on youtube and are for male and females to ask for help, the other one i learned from youtube as i had seen videos made as social experiments to make people aware when someone needs help.

I have never heard of it .The chances are that the person would not know why they had been touched w.could not want to get involved anyway.

As more and more people become aware of these signs, surely the abusers will also hear about them and watch out for them.

Reported.

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The tappping and closing hand behind back is shown on social media, and seems filmed mainly in USA towns and cities.

I have also wondered how it would be possible to help victims of modern slavery - for instance in nail bars or car washes, How find out if they are indeed victims and then what would help them? Go quietly and report the place to the police? it would be good to help - but hard to be sure what would be the best and safest way to act.

I would love to see this tried out by a journalist to see how many random strangers actually responded, and if so how.

Yes I know of it

I was aware of it, I have seen it at some point in facebook reels

Thank you, Magenta8, I did not know that.

If I saw this I think I would try to follow the couple far enough back that I could ring the police at the same time. I could update the police about where they were.

I've known this for many years.

I still do not understand the point unless there is specific advice on how anyone who sees the gesture should respond. In fact it could raise the hopes of the coerced individual to expect that help will be forthcoming when it might not be.

Yes, lots of examples with video on X. I knew about it from just watching these.

I've never heard of this and I don't think I could remember all those AI instructions.

Here is the AI advice.
How to Respond
The appropriate response depends on the situation (e.g., in person, on a video call) and whether you know the person.
Immediate Danger: If you believe the person or others are in immediate danger, call emergency services right away.
Not Immediate Danger: If the danger doesn't seem immediate, your goal is to check in safely without escalating the situation for the distressed person.
In Person (Public or Private)
Approach Safely: Try to approach them when they are alone, or subtly indicate that you have seen their signal.
Offer Discreet Help: Ask simple, non-alarming questions. For example:
"Are you okay?"
"Do you need to use my phone?"
"Would you like me to call someone for you?"
Do Not Confront the Abuser: Avoid confronting the person accompanying the victim, as this could put everyone in more danger.
In Public Spaces: Inform security, a police officer, or a bar staff member (some bars use the "Ask for Angela" system).

I knew about asking for Angela but not the hand gesture.
If someone did this to me, particularly the open hand/palm bit I would wonder if they were asking for money, rather than help.
(So me passing them a couple of quid wouldn’t be much use.)
Perhaps a campaign along the same lines as the Ask Angela one might be helpful.

Never heard of it, but I can morse both SOS and MAYDAY.

If I saw someone do this I would feel panicky because I genuinely wouldn’t know how best to help. 🤷‍♀️

Couldn’t call the Police they’d be walking away ….
Couldn’t talk to them they wouldn’t want attention drawn to their plight …

Genuinely question.
What are we advised to actually DO?

Magenta, kudos to you.

Hand signal: show palm, tuck thumb in, close fingers over it. Originated from Canadian Women's Foundation for domestic abuse situations. Worth knowing but don't assume everyone does

What can a GN do? Take a discrete photo, to send to Police?

Yes, I have seen this one. It does has to be discrete, or the abuser is alerted.