In Poland, a fake e-shop against violence against women

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A high school girl from Warsaw has just created a Facebook page, an online store selling cosmetic products. It actually allows women to report violence discreetly, while they are cloistered at home because of confinement.

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With our correspondent in Warsaw, Thomas Giraudeau

The page looks like any beauty product site. Creams and lotions are presented as in traditional advertisements. But here, the client communicates by coded messages. If she wants natural cosmetics, she needs help. If she wants to receive them immediately, at home, by giving her address, the information is transmitted to the local police who intervene.

Since the start of confinement a month ago in Poland, domestic violence has increased sharply. Women's advocacy organizations receive twice as many calls. For victims, it is often difficult to ask for help while they are cloistered at home with their executioner. With this page, they can now do this without attracting his attention.

"More than 50 messages"

The idea germinated in the mind of Krysia Paszko, a high school girl from Warsaw. "  When I created it just a week ago, it was just for my friends, to tell them that if they feel alone, they can call me anytime, " she says. I thought I would receive a message or two, but my initiative has become very popular. It was shared. We have already received more than 50 messages.  "

Overwhelmed by the number of calls for help, the adolescent approached the Women's Rights Center. The association's psychologists have taken over and are talking to the victims. “  This fake store looks like a real one, it does not create suspicion in an abusive spouse. The fact that many women write on this Facebook page shows that they feel safe there. They ask for help, tell us about their suffering, and sometimes encourage us to call the police,  ”explains Joanna Gzyra-Iskandar, member of the Center.

Only one week after the creation of the page, several interventions by the police led to the isolation of the violent spouse.

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