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The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we live our lives. One of the most significant changes everyone had to make was to stay mostly at home in order to stay safe from the virus. However, not everyone is completely safe at home, especially those who are victims of domestic violence.

A fake cosmetic online shop offers a platform for domestic violence victims to safely ask for help / Source: Pexels

Physical abuse in women, both young and adult, is not a new problem. It has long existed in households around the world for centuries. And yet, sadly, it still persists to this day and can be considered as a different kind of “pandemic.”

Although the rising number of domestic violence cases around the world during the pandemic is alarming, the silver lining in it is that it has prompted people to act on the problem.

One of those who responded to this crisis is Polish high school student Krystyna Paszko.

Amid the lockdown all over the world, domestic violence victims feel trapped and most of the time afraid to get caught seeking help by their abuser.

So, Krystyna thought of a way for abuse victims to discreetly ask for help online: through a Facebook page disguised as a cosmetic shop called "Chamomiles and Pansies."

Screen shot of actual Chamomiles and Pansies Facebook page / Source: @rumiankiibratki (FB)

In a statement, Krystyna revealed that her idea to create a Facebook help page disguised as an online cosmetic shop was inspired by a French initiative, where people order a special mask in the pharmacy to let the pharmacists know they are domestic violence victims.

Krystyna then worked hand-in-hand with the Centre for Women's Rights, a Polish non-government organization, who hooked her up with psychologists and lawyers for her Facebook help page in disguise.

The fake online cosmetics shop was launched in April 2020 and has reportedly helped 350 women since then, who are mostly under the age of 40.

This one-of-a-kind initiative of Krystyna was among the 23 projects to receive the European Union's Civil Solidarity Prize, a recognition given to organizations working to address the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the Facebook page “Chamomiles and Pansies,” domestic abuse victims can ask for help by simply “ordering” a cream.

Instead of a salesperson, a psychologist will be there to respond to the “order,” which is actually a code asking for help.

Once they place their orders and provide their address, this will prompt authorities to visit their homes.

This way domestic abuse victims can safely ask for help without giving their abuser a clue.

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You might also want to read about another silent pandemic that the world is facing right now: obesity!