Ljiljana Raičević

Ljiljana Raičević is a human rights and women’s rights activist in Montenegro. Ljiljana Raičević was born on the 29th of June, 1947, in Podgorica, Montenegro. After high school, she entered Faculty of History and Geography in Nikšić. Ms. Raičević 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 at the Municipal Parliament for the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro. Ljiljana Raičević created Montenegro’s first SOS line in 1996—the first NGO in Montenegro which served women by providing services for women in abusive relationships. After noticing that the women calling the SOS line needed additional assistance, such as a safe place to stay, as well as medical, psychological, and legal assistance, Ms. Raičević established the Women’s Safe House in 1999—the first shelter in Montenegro for victims of domestic violence. In 2001, she became a member of the Montenegrin project board for the protection of victims of human trafficking. In addition to working with victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, Raičević educates police and state authorities on these issues. In 2003, for her work as the Executive Director of the Women’s Safe House, she was named “Person of the year” by Vreme, a weekly news magazine based in Belgrade, Serbia. She was the 2006 laureate of Amnesty International’s Ginetta Sagan Fund Award.