Ljiljana Raičević ( sr-cyr, Љиљана Раичевић; born 29 June 1947, née Petrović) is a

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist in

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

and

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. She was the 2006 laureate of

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

Ginetta Sagan Ginetta Sagan (June 1, 1925 – August 25, 2000) was an Italian-born American human rights activist best known for her work with Amnesty International on behalf of prisoners of conscience. Born in Milan, Italy, Sagan lost her parents in her te ...

Fund Award. Raicevic created Montenegro's SOS LINE, the first NGO that in that country which served women by providing resources for women in abusive relationships. After noticing that the women calling the SOS LINE needed additional assistance, such a safe place to stay, as well as medical, psychological, and legal assistance, Raičević established the Women's Safe House, the first shelter in Montenegro for victims of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

. With the Safe House, she successfully lobbied the Parliament of Montenegro for the adoption of a witness protection law.

Biography

Raičević was born in Podgorica, Montenegro. Her father was Milovan Petrović and her mother Lyubov, was a

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

ian from

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

. Raičević attended the high school in Podgorica where her mother taught Russian language; she played volleyball and was a member of the cultural society, "Budo Tomović". After high school, she entered the Faculty of History and Geography in Nikšić. She met her future husband Andrew Loca Raičevića (d. 1994) when he was a young lawyer; he later became deputy minister of the Montenegrin Ministry of Interior Affairs. They have three children, a daughter, and two sons. She worked at the Medical Institute in Podgorica from 1970 until her retirement in 1999. Between 1985 and 1989, she was president of the Union of Medical Workers. She also served as an elected councillor in the Municipal Parliament for the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro. In 1996, she established the first women's NGO in Montenegro, a hotline for victims of domestic violence, and served as its coordinator until 1999. In that year, she founded the NGO, Women's Safe House, the first shelter for victims of domestic violence in Montenegro. In 2001, she became a member of the Montenegrin project board for the protection of victims of

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

. In addition to working with victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, Raičević educates police and state authorities on these issues.

Awards

In 2003, she was named "Person of the Year" by '' Vreme'', the

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

-based newspaper. She was the 2006 laureate of the Ginetta Sagan Fund Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raicevic, Ljiljana 1947 births Living people People from Podgorica Montenegrin people of Belarusian descent Serbian human rights activists Serbian people of Belarusian descent Serbian people of Montenegrin descent Serbian women's rights activists Serbian women activists University of Montenegro alumni Organization founders Women founders