Sharmarke Dubow is an award winning Somali Canadian community leader, connector and organizer. He holds a BA in Business Technology from the University of Cape Breton and has a background working in refugee law, trauma and youth engagement.
A refugee to Canada himself, he currently facilitates volunteer support services for refugees in Greater Victoria at the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria. On a national level, he volunteers with the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR).
He has appeared on local, national and international media advocating for diversity and inclusion of newcomers – in particular the integration of refugees and people facing poverty.
Sharmarke’s outstanding activism has garnered him various awards and recognitions including Victoria Community Leadership Awards 2017.
Sharmarke loves Victoria. When he was asked to reflect on his life, he said, “Victoria gives me a lot, I am very grateful to call it home. For this reason, I want to create an affordable, inclusive and just community, where everyone belongs. A city for all.”
Follow Sharmarke on Twitter @deardubow
Refugee Rights Day is a day to create awareness in the public consciousness about the rights and protection of refugees in Canada. Celebrated on April 4th, this day is significant particularly for refugee claimants, because it brings attention to the advances made in the protection of refugee rights in Canada as a result of the Supreme Court’s 1985 Singh Decision. In this decision, the Supreme Court found that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the fundamental rights of refugees. The Court decided that ‘everyone’ includes refugee claimants in the sentence: ‘Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.’
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