“Lepa Mladjenovic is a Serbian intellectual and activist campaigning for peace and human rights. She is especially committed to women’s rights and the rights of people whose sexual orientation and gender identity does not conform to majority norms. Focal points of her work are sexual political violence in war and peace, prevention of violence, and trauma work. For her commitment she has become well known far beyond the borders of Serbia and the region.
Since the 1990s, Lepa Mladjenovic has offered psychological counselling for women and girls who have been victims of sexual violence or traumatised by other forms of violence; in this she contributes to Belgrade’s Autonomous Women’s Center (AWC) as well as other organisations. For many years she has been a trainer for women working as counsellors with women’s organisations. She also develops strategies for how to prevent violence, passing them on to disseminators.
Lepa Mladjenovic is active in and a co-founder of many organisations and networks, among them Serbia’s Women in Black that stood up against the Serbian government’s war-mongering and the use of politically-motivated sexual violence. After the war, Women in Black actively pursued reconciliation with victims of the Serbian regime, asking forgiveness for crimes that had been committed “in their names.”
Lepa Mladjenovic is a co-founder and spokeswoman for Arkadia and Labris, two organisations advocating lesbian rights, and she organised and participated in Pride Parades and other public events advocating the rights of homosexuals in Serbia and the Balkans.
Lepa Mladjenovic is a lecturer at Belgrade’s Centre for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, specialising in feminism and lesbian rights. She has published widely on the issue of violence against women and is a pioneer of the Serbian feminist and LGBTIQ movement (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, inter*, queer).
Lepa Mladjenovic is an outstanding personality, blending political courage with intellectual fervour, and combining the counselling of traumatised women with political lobbying and scientific research. In the face of personal danger she has, again and again, taken up important causes. In Serbia, where severe discrimination and the hostility of large sections of society and state are daily fare, it takes great courage to advocate for the rights of homosexuals.
Lepa Mladjenovic is a woman that inspires courage in others; she is a role model for many female activists who campaign against sexual violence and for peace, women’s, lesbian, and human rights.”
The jury members of the Anne Klein Women’s Award are:
Barbara Unmüßig, co-president of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, jury chair
Renate Künast, MP, parliamentary party leader, German Green Party (Bündnis90/Die Grünen)
Prof Dr Michaele Schreyer, vice-president of the Network European Movement Germany
Jutta Wagner, lawyer, former president of the German Women Lawyers Association (djb)
Thomas Herrendorf, interior decorator
Berlin, 6 December 2012
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Contact
Ulrike Cichon
e-mail: cichon@boell.de
phone: +49 (0)30 285 34-112
If you would like to support the causes embraced by the Anne Klein Women’s Award, please make your donations payable to:
In the subject line put: “Anne Klein”
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Making Gender Democracy a Reality: The Anne Klein Women’s Award
In honour of Anne Klein we have created the Anne Klein Women’s Award. Anne Klein, a dedicated lawyer and openly lesbian politician, has been a pioneer of feminist causes. The prize is annually awarded to women who have shown exemplary commitment for making gender democracy a reality. The award is endowed with 10.000 €. mehr »