MA Librarian Hiding Phones In Books For Domestic Violence Victims

WESTWOOD, MA — A Westwood librarian has started a grassroots movement to turn victims of dating and domestic violence into survivors by hiding burner phones and other resources in discarded books.

Motivated by an experience she had with a friend who was in an abusive marriage, Molly Riportella said she realized that a secret phone can be the key to getting out of danger.

"I had an extra phone and line via my family plan, so I provided them with an 'untraceable' mobile phone, Riportella wrote in the description of her GoFundMe for BiblioUnderground, the name of the movement. "Before passing the phone, I created a secret email account, added [domestic violence] and other social service phone numbers and hotlines in the contacts, and left notes about Massachusetts DV resources in the phone, allowing them to plan an escape."

The idea behind BiblioUnderground, Riportella explained, is to first carve out books and fill them with prepaid burner phones and DV and Safety Planning resources — then distribute them to local organizations that are "checking people out of bad situations."

Riportella named the secret book vessels "Book-it 2 Freedom Kits," sharing a photo with CNN demonstrating how they look. Her goal is to turn BiblioUnderground into a nonprofit with a network of book lovers who create the kits and pass them on to local experts like abuse advocacy groups, OBGYNs, housing officials, and health and human services departments.

"The phone is a literal beacon of hope; without unfettered access to the outside world, many victims of DV remain trapped in highly controlled environments by their abusers," BiblioUnderground states on its website. "Preloading the phone with essential information and local contacts is one less obstacle in their path on their way out the door to freedom."

Domestic violence is far from rare. One in four women and one in nine men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

"We want to better inform the general public about safety planning and digital security," BiblioUnderground wrote. "We want to end to silence and stigma that surrounds abuse, to heal ourselves by helping others. We want to save lives through reliable and safe technology."

All money received through the GoFundMe or BiblioUnderground website will be used toward Book-it 2 Freedom Kits and spreading awareness of the movement, according to the website.

In the words of BiblioUnderground, "Let’s be like Lithuanian knygnešiai, or book smuggling freedom fighters."