‘Ask for Angela’ initiative helping survivors of gender-based violence

For survivors of gender-based violence, asking for help can be extremely difficult and often dangerous. But one program that launched in Toronto earlier this year aims to make that first step much easier. All you have to do is walk into a Shoppers Drug Mart or Loblaws and ‘Ask for Angela’.

“Go to any employee who works there, they’ve all been trained, and say “Is Angela here?” or “Can I speak with Angela,” anyway that you want to seek help they’ll know what that code word means. They’ll bring you to a separate, private location and they’ll call Victim Services Toronto so that we can provide our crisis support immediately in that moment,” explained Carly Kalish, the executive director of Victim Services Toronto. “And if you’re not comfortable asking, our QR code for Victim Services Toronto is on the outside of every location.”

Victim Services Toronto partnered specifically with Loblaws for the campaign officially launching it in March. Signs are now visible at 238 Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart, and affiliate locations across the city. The organization can’t say exactly how many people have accessed its services through the campaign yet, though Kalish says it’s been working extremely well so far.

“A mother and child walked into a store and said our father is abusive, can you help us? Single women who are survivors of intimate partner violence. Human trafficking survivors who need to seek self-help in that moment. It’s a myriad of stories that we’re hearing.”

The phrase “Ask for Angela” came from a campaign that originated in the UK in 2016. People who felt unsafe or vulnerable in bars and other venues could use the code word for support from staff.

Kalish says rather than bars, Toronto’s version focuses mainly on where gender-based violence survivors have said they are allowed to be alone.

“They told us ‘we’re allowed to do things that are part of our regular routine’ which is going grocery shopping, going to the pharmacy, buying makeup, going to the bank, things like this.”

The Leader Spirit reached out to Loblaws to inquire about how many people have been helped through the program and while they didn’t give exact numbers a spokesperson said the company has seen “tremendous success measured not only in raising awareness about gender-based violence but also in providing discreet, trauma-informed support to those who need it”.

Plans are in the works to expand the initiative to more locations and businesses.