Victim Services Toronto expands ‘Ask for Angela’ safety campaign ahead of World Cup

A Toronto charity is expanding a campaign to help survivors of gender-based violence as the city prepares for tens of thousands of visitors during the FIFA World Cup.

Victim Services Toronto, which provides support to people who have experienced crime, announced Tuesday that it is increasing the presence of its “trauma-informed safety initiative” known as Ask for Angela.

Originating in the UK and first launched in the Greater Toronto Area in 2023, the initiative allows people experiencing gender-based violence, or exploitation, to ask for support discreetly at certain locations using the code phrase: “Is Angela here?”

Carly Kalish, CEO of Victim Services Toronto, said the organization wants to reach people in as many creative ways as possible and in places where they are often alone. She said the expansion is taking place before Toronto hosts six World Cup games starting in June.

“We know the combination of adrenaline, testosterone and alcohol leads to increases in gender-based violence and we know that major sporting events increase all of those in a dangerous combination,” Kalish said.

“We are preparing for a mass influx of people. And with that combination, we’re wanting to create as many safe spaces as we can.”

Ask for Angela has been rolled out at more than 225 local retail spots, including at Loblaw and Shopper’s Drug Mart stores, with staff trained to recognize the code phrase and follow a protocol to connect people to trauma-informed support.

Victim Services Toronto has new partners, CEO says

At a news conference Tuesday, Kalish told reporters that Victim Services Toronto has partnered with retail, hospitality, health care, transit, emergency response and tourism organizations to train 8,000 additional staff and volunteers. The new partners include the CN Tower, Hilton Toronto and Toronto Paramedic Services.

Through the strategic partnerships, the organization will expand “direct pathways to crisis support in everyday spaces across Toronto,” it said in a news release.

The organization will also build a new map that will allow users to find Ask for Angela sites nearby or connect with Victim Services Toronto directly.

And it will launch what it calls the “Ask for Angela OOH” campaign, in which posters will be disguised as ads for products but will contain QR codes that link to a website. The campaign aims to make the initiative more visible in public spaces such as transit hubs.

Big sporting events lead to increases in trafficking: police

Insp. Keri Fernandes, unit commander of specialized criminal investigations and sex crimes at Toronto police, said police have noticed an increase in human trafficking around large sporting events. She said human trafficking and intimate partner violence are similar in that there is often a relationship between the offender and victim.

“The victims often only have a small window of opportunity to reach out for help when they’re away from their trafficker — opportunities at hotels, at grocery stores, at pharmacies. That’s often the only period of time a victim will be away from their offender,” she said.

The hardest part, she said, is for the victim to recognize that they are in a trafficking relationship and then to reach out for help.

Fernandes said expanding the number of partnerships means Victim Services Toronto and Toronto police will be able to help more people.

“Education that happens within the hotels, within the stores — that’s very, very important.”

Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw, in a social media post Tuesday, said the initiative “empowers victims to seek help discreetly and safely” and thanked the organization for “making sure help is accessible, visible, and compassionate.”

Charity helped person at pharmacy last week, CEO says

Last week at a Toronto pharmacy, Victim Services Toronto helped a survivor of violence, according to Kalish. She said the person went to a pharmacist and said “Is Angela here?” and staff responded.

A representative of the organization went to her where she was and connected her with a shelter bed.

“We’re still connected to her today.”