A teenager in Poland set up a fake cosmetic website where people suffering from domestic violence and abuse could report being trapped, BBC News reports.
- The student recently won a prize from the European Union for creating the website, receiving $12,120.
The teen, Krystyna Paszko, told BBC News that she heard about increased domestic violence cases throughout the pandemic. She then said she learned about other efforts to combat domestic violence that inspired her to do the same.
So she launched a fake shop online called “Camomiles and Pansies,” where “the victim can hide requests for help from their abuser at home by appearing to be shopping online,” according to BBC News.
- “I thought it would only be for my friends, and friends of friends. I thought I would help maybe one person or two, but the shares on Facebook were big and it became really popular,” she said, according to BBC News.
How it works
The victim will use the website to buy a cream, per Tanks Good News.
A psychologist responds rather than a salesperson to ask if they have skin problems, how long they’ve been happening and if there’s any reaction to alcohol, according to Tanks Good News.
- The person can then request order by giving his or her address. Authorities will show up soon after.
Flashback.
Paszko said she got the idea from a story she read about a France initiative where people can use the word “mask 19” at pharmacies so they can get help from authorities in domestic violence cases, according to CNN.
Similar initiatives have popped up around the world, especially since domestic violence has been increasing because of the pandemic, CNN reports.
- “There has always been gender violence, but this crisis makes it all worse,” Simona Ammerata, from the Lucha y Siesta women’s shelter in Rome told CNN.