About

À propos — JIRIS
JIRIS · Justice • Inclusion • Reintegration • Social Innovation

An initiative at the crossroads of justice, mental health and social innovation

Discover the vision, journey, and commitment behind JIRIS in service of a fairer and more inclusive society.

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Shomba Lomami
Shomba Lomami
Founder of JIRIS

JIRIS — Justice, Inclusion, Reintegration, Social Innovation is an initiative founded by Shomba Lomami, a professional in law, criminology and psychosocial intervention, committed to promoting more accessible justice, dignified reintegration and a more inclusive society.

Holder ofa master's degree in law from the Catholic University of Louvain, d’a law degree from the University of Kinshasa and ofa Bachelor of Criminology from the University of Ottawa, and trained in psychosocial intervention, he develops an interdisciplinary approach that combines legal, criminological, psychosocial and community dimensions in order to better understand human realities and provide appropriate responses.

His expertise has been built through complementary experiences in the legal, educational, community, and institutional sectors. He has notably gained experience in a law firm, taught law at Collège Universel – Gatineau Campus, and participated in international anti-poverty initiatives with the ONE Campaign.

His community involvement then led him to become coordinator at RÉHABEX, an organization specializing in the social and professional reintegration of people involved with the justice system. He also served as an administrator for La BASE, a food bank working with vulnerable people, and as co-founder and administrator of La Voix de l'Immigrant (LVI), a collective rights advocacy organization.

These experiences now allow him to address issues of justice, mental health, reintegration and inclusion from several angles — legal, psychosocial, educational and community — in order to propose interventions rooted in the realities on the ground.

A recognized commitment

  • Author of the book Impacts of criminal records on immigrants and foreigners: Criminals for life (!?), published by Éditions L'Harmattan (Paris, 2022).
  • Winner of Certificate of Ambassador for Social Rehabilitation (Outaouais, 2020).
  • Responsible for the project's content and programming Impacts – Juvenile File – School (IDJE).
  • Speaking within the framework of the program WARNED — Let's stop the violence and intimidation, let's get involved.
  • Member of the International Observatory of Juvenile Justice (OJJ).

The vision of JIRIS

One conviction runs through each of JIRIS's interventions: a situation can only be transformed sustainably after first understanding it in all its complexity — legal, human and social.

This conviction guides JIRIS's way of working. The organization prioritizes training and support for communities, because a better-equipped group can produce lasting effects far beyond a one-off intervention.

Through its training courses, conferences, workshops and community projects, JIRIS puts its knowledge and field experience at the service of a simple objective: to give communities the means to build fairer, more inclusive and more humane environments.

Clarification importante

Although trained in law, Shomba Lomami is not a lawyer and does not offer personalized legal advice or representation in court.

JIRIS's intervention is based on legal education, awareness-raising, training development, support for community initiatives and referral to qualified professional resources when the situation requires it.

“Understanding one’s rights, better grasping human realities, and fostering empowerment: this is how justice becomes a true tool for inclusion.”
— Shomba Lomami, founder of JIRIS

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