Country of Origin: Democratic Republic of Congo

Main Focus: Child Soldiers, Arms Control, Peacebuilding

Follow on: Twitter and Vision GRAM-International

Victor Amisi Sulubika is a strong believer in a world of dignity, human rights, and justice for all. He has been serving as the Executive Director of Vision GRAM-International (Research Group Against Marginalization) in Canada since 2007 and as the Coordinator of the GRAM-Kivu Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 1996. During the conflicts in the DRC, he initiated the Coalition to End the Use of Children, where he acted as a national focal point in the DRC.

In his role, he has authored numerous reports on human rights in eastern DRC on child soldiers. He speaks to university and school audiences across the country on a wide range of topics related to child soldiers, human rights, armed violence, youth, and women. As a human rights journalist, he has published magazines and produced local and national radio programs in the DRC. He launched the campaigns "Replace the gun with a pen" and "Justice for them" to advocate and raise awareness for education and justice for children and youth affected by armed conflicts.

Victor is very active in lobbying and advocacy, and with his experience in international development, he has participated in international events and conferences at the United Nations (New York) on disarmament and nuclear weapons (Arms trade Treaty through Controls Arms and ICAN), international justice (International Coalition of the International Criminal Court), small arms (through IANSA), and civilian protection (through the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect).

Victor has received several awards, including two awards from the University of Ottawa Student Association in 2009 and the "Empowerment & Success and Engagement" trophy from the University of Ottawa Student Federation in February 2010 during Black History Month. He also received the Honorary Excellence Award from Stanford Who's Who, 2011-2012 edition, and Ashford Talk Radio in 2012. In Ottawa's Francophone community, he received the Grand-Maître Bernard Award in the newcomer category in 2015 from the Association of Francophone Communities of Ottawa (ACFO). His contributions to others are even more impressive when considering the many challenges he has overcome in his home country and refugee country Uganda over the years.

Victor embodies the values that are at the heart of human rights activists, both through his own personal example of bravery, resilience, and compassion and in the tremendous contributions he has made to a much wider community - ranging from the Democratic Republic of Congo to United Nations conference halls to his home in Canada - through his determined and courageous activities as a highly respected human rights defender.

Victor arrived in Canada as a refugee in early 2007. He had become a valued and highly active volunteer within Amnesty International research teams based in the regional office in Kampala, Uganda. Victor and his family had fled Congo to Uganda due to threats he faced because of his work on human rights, particularly his efforts to defend and enforce the rights and security of child soldiers, including encouraging and supporting their demobilization and reintegration.

After his arrival in Canada, it was clear from the outset that his passion for continuing to make a difference in advocating for the rights of child soldiers, tackling the disastrous impact on human rights of the global arms trade, and more broadly promoting human rights would grow and deepen from his new home in Canada.

This has been Victor's inspiring journey. He has faced considerable challenges that any resettled refugee in Canada must face, such as ensuring the well-being of his large family, finding employment, and pursuing university studies to broaden his skills and knowledge. But throughout this time, he has continuously been able to deepen his human rights activities, both in the province and on the global stage. He has maintained his close ties with Amnesty International and volunteered in various capacities. In fact, he has been involved at the community level in a dizzying array of organizations and initiatives.

Much of Victor's incredible work has been done in his capacity as the Executive Director of the organization Vision GRAM-International. He speaks to audiences across the province, including in schools, to promote a human rights and social justice program touching on issues such as child soldiers and the arms trade. He has regularly traveled to the United Nations to represent these concerns and advocate for reforms at major conferences and before high-level committees. Since 2006, with other civil society actors at the United Nations, Victor has made significant contributions to the negotiations for the adoption, signature, and ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

All of this was a continuation of the work Victor had pursued while still living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he first founded the organization Vision GRAM in 1996. That Victor was able to continue with such power and success in this work from his new home in Ottawa/Canada was by no means easy. Many displaced human rights defenders find it impossible to continue their advocacy once they have moved to Canada, as the challenges of adaptation and settlement in Canada become dominant. Victor's ability to successfully resettle, ensure his family integrated smoothly while continuing to deepen his work as a human rights defender, is truly inspiring.

Having made his home for himself and his family in Canada a little over ten years ago, his contributions to making this province a more conscious and better-understood province of urgent human rights concerns around the world have been truly impressive. And his ability and willingness to continue working from Canada on the international stage for human rights change and reform in the world give him every reason to be strong.

Internationally, he is advocating for the rights of young soldiers by turning them into innocent actors for peace and reconstruction. He also advocates for changing the historical status of women victims of sexual violence by turning their status from war victims into agents of change.

The change of power in the DRC in 2018 called Victor back to his home country to bring his expertise at the national level. He is part of the Congolese diaspora who responded to the call of the new President of the DRC to return and serve the nation. He was a youth policy expert in the President's Special Advisor office on Youth and Gender-Based Violence.

Read Victor’s blog: Les activistes en exil, une voix qui ne s’éteint pas

Victor Amisi Sulubika est un activiste en exil qui continue de promouvoir les droits de l'homme et de porter la voix des opprimés. Il a travaillé en République démocratique du Congo avant de devoir quitter le pays en raison de menaces de mort. Maintenant au Canada, il continue de travailler pour les droits de l'homme et de sensibiliser les Canadiens à la situation dans les pays en guerre. Les activistes en exil ont besoin de soutien pour poursuivre leur travail et leur contribution est essentielle à la lutte pour les droits de l'homme dans le monde.