News Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters supports construction workplaces to recognize and stop domestic violence Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters supports construction workplaces to recognize and stop domestic violence Edmonton, Alberta – Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS), in partnership with the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA), launched an innovative collaboration project at their annual Breakfast with the Guys event to help members of the construction industry recognize the signs of — and interrupt — domestic violence impacting their workplaces. The ACWS’s annual Breakfast with the Guys brought together over 175 business and community leaders today at Chateau Lacombe Hotel to learn how everyone, and especially men, can lead change in the workplace and in their communities to end violence against women. “Domestic violence remains an urgent and serious problem that doesn’t stay in the home. It bleeds into the workplace and all areas of our community. We can solve it together through concerted education and collective action. Donate to women’s shelters. Share our awareness videos. Book a Leading Change training for your organization.” – Jan Reimer, Executive Director, ACWS Funded through an OHS Innovation Grant from Alberta Labour, the pilot project includes the customized application of a Domestic Violence & Your Workplace toolkit at ACSA, an awareness campaign for the construction industry, and the launch of an online training course for ACSA members delivered by the ACSA and developed in partnership with the ACWS Leading Change program. ACWS’ Domestic Violence and Your Workplace program provides business with the in-person training, consultation and tools to recognize the signs of violence, appropriately help workers who are facing violence, and protect their workplaces and employees. Organizations interested in learning how they can lead change can learn more about the available toolkit and other opportunities at https://acws.ca/leading-change The annual Breakfast takes place every year during Family Violence Prevention Month. It paints a picture of the state of violence towards women in our community and gives male leaders tools to shift behaviors that contribute to a culture of gender-based violence. Men are uniquely positioned to exert influence on other boys and men in their lives. “Through the supports the shelter helped me access, I was able to overcome my trauma and heal. Now, I am so grateful to work in a shelter and support other women to grow beyond their trauma. I believe that we can end cycles, and we can create new lives. I hope that you can be one of the people in someone else’s life who provides support and stability by supporting women’s shelters.” – Chantel Sparklingeyes, Program Manager, Hope Haven Women’s Shelter Quick facts: Every six days in Canada, a woman is killed by a current or former intimate partner Alberta has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, and the severity of the violence is on the rise One in four Albertans has experienced violence at their workplace, and domestic violence is the second most prominent form of violence that impacts Alberta workplaces 74% of domestic violence victims will experience abuse at their work – whether it’s the abuser obsessively calling or texting his victim or showing up to her workplace and compromising the safety of all the employees 90% of domestic violence incidents will be disclosed to a coworker Unaddressed domestic violence costs a business $100,000 for every 100 employees – in absenteeism, lost productivity, and retraining
