Ottawa, January 26, 2026 – Today, Women’s Shelters Canada (WSC) launched a new national awareness campaign – “Refer Her” – about domestic violence (DV) and its effects on women in the workplace.
One in three workers in Canada has experienced some form of domestic violence in their lifetime. Of those, over 80% said it negatively affected their work, while more than half said that abusive acts continued at or near their workplaces. As a result, they lost promotions, jobs, and even references.
“When a woman experiences domestic violence, it follows her to work, affecting the safety, productivity, and well-being of the entire team,” said Anuradha Dugal, executive director of Women’s Shelters Canada. “‘Refer Her’ is our reference letter, written on behalf of all women who are experiencing or have experienced violence, as a call to action for employers in Canada to take the problem seriously.”
Employers can do so by taking WSC’s new Domestic Violence & Your Workplace training, funded by the Department of Women & Gender Equality Canada, which helps organizations recognize and respond to the impacts of domestic violence at work. Partnering with the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, WSC is training five provincial/territorial associations across five distinct provinces/territories to deliver the training in their regions, while WSC provides training nationally.
“Domestic violence is a workplace safety issue,” said Dugal. “This training helps employers fulfill their legal and moral obligations. New research we conducted shows that one-third of people working in Canada have heard from a colleague about their experience with DV. Yet only 35% of those surveyed believe employers take domestic violence very or extremely seriously.”
Featuring informational content across print media, social media, broadcast and connected television, and out-of-home placements, “Refer Her” is an exciting, fully integrated campaign centring on a reference letter for the women who don’t always get them. As part of the campaign, WSC is sending that reference letter to over 50 of Canada’s leading companies, urging them to do their part and take this training.
The campaign also features the multi-platform release of a PSA featuring activist, broadcaster, and filmmaker Sarain Fox. Campaign resources encourage all workers to play a role in supporting colleagues experiencing domestic violence by remembering the three R’s – Recognize domestic violence, Respond appropriately, and Refer to specialized support and resources.
For more information on the Domestic Violence & Your Workplace training and the “Refer Her” campaign, including ways to share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and employer, visit ReferHer.ca. Employers can sign up directly for the training at ReferHer.ca.
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For media enquiries, contact:
Kaitlin Geiger-Bardswich
Director of Communications and Advocacy
media@endvaw.ca
Women’s Shelters Canada brings together 16 provincial and territorial shelter organizations and supports the over 600 shelters across the country for women and children fleeing violence. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, you can find your nearest women’s shelter and its crisis line on www.sheltersafe.ca.