Workplace Gender-Based Violence and Creating Safe Workplaces

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a significant barrier to full participation in Canada’s science, engineering, trades, and technology (SETT) sectors. From everyday bias to severe misconduct, unsafe environments push people out of careers and weaken the SETT ecosystem as a whole. As organizations across the country work to advance equity and diversify their workforces, unsafe workplace cultures continue to undermine recruitment, retention, and career progression, especially for women, gender-diverse workers, and those facing intersecting forms of discrimination.

Grounded in lived experiences, current Canadian research, and sector-specific case studies, this session examines how GBV shows up in SETT environments and why traditional compliance-based responses fail to create meaningful or lasting change. Participants will explore a practical, evidence-informed framework for prevention that integrates trauma-informed approaches, psychologically safe leadership, and system-level culture transformation. Through stories, data, and practical tools, attendees will learn to recognize harmful dynamics, support those affected, and build environments where everyone feels respected, valued, and safe.