Librarian Molly Riportella recognizes the impact of books. As a survivor of domestic abuse herself, she understands that a phone can either serve as a lifeline or an intimidation tool for people in violent relationships. When a woman in an abusive relationship sought her assistance two years ago, Riportella knew precisely how to offer support.
Riportella discreetly provided the woman with a phone containing programmed numbers and email addresses for local shelters, links to free attorneys, and other social services. This experience sparked an idea for her.
She started carving hidden compartments in the pages of discarded books from her library in Westwood, Massachusetts, and placing a burner phone in each, programmed with links and numbers for local resources. Riportella explained that the hidden phones, distributed to women in abusive relationships, serve as a lifeline for seeking help.
This particularly in situations where the partner monitors their phone calls and texts. “I include resources for safety planning, pro bono legal action, how to get a restraining order — all the things that I had no idea how to do in my 20s when I was being abused, and I was scared to try to find out,” she told CNN.
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At 36, Riportella takes precautions to avoid drawing attention to the hidden phones. She puts them in silent mode and removes the library stamp and barcode to prevent tracing the book to any specific location.
She refers to the hidden phones as “Book-it-2-Freedom Kits,” or Bi2FKs. To aid in their distribution, she established BiblioUnderground, a grassroots library and social justice movement aimed at assisting individuals in abusive situations.
As a librarian, Riportella often encounters women in search of resources to escape abusive situations. Drawing from her own experience and available resources, she endeavors to alleviate their challenges.
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In 2022, the woman who approached her disclosed that her boyfriend was monitoring her texts and social media messages on her phone, Riportella shared. Since Riportella had recently switched phone plans and had a spare phone, she decided to give it to the woman.
After giving the woman the phone, Riportella had a breakthrough moment: why not provide a similar resource to others? Elizabeth LaRosee, a community programs director working with abused women in nearby Randolph, Massachusetts, learned about Riportella’s initiative last year and received a phone kit from her.
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LaRosee recounted giving the phone to an abused woman whose phone was linked to her husband’s account. The woman utilized the secret phone to access emergency housing and other services and has since left her husband, LaRosee added.
“Domestic violence survivors are often in situations where they lack access to communication with the outside world,” LaRosee emphasized. “They are essentially held financially captive and unable to escape from their abusers because of that.”
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