EXTERNAL MEMBERS

Jelena Hrnjak, President

Jelena Hrnjak is a women's and human rights activist, who believes in the strength of civic actions as the key in fight for equality. She is committed to direct support and long-term assistance to women and children, victims of human trafficking and gender-based violence. As a Programme Manager of NGO Atina, Jelena has been managing the work of the organization for the past 11 years, particularly its comprehensive program of social inclusion for human trafficking victims. Together with her colleagues, she founded a social enterprise Bagel Bejgl, a women's entrepreneurial idea, with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of Atina’s recovery programs for victims of trafficking, but also providing women who come from the hard-to-employ category and vulnerable social groups a place for practice and economic empowerment.

Jelena is actively involved in building capacities of other civil society organizations, as well as institutions, in the field of combating human trafficking, exploitation of children, and promotion of anti-discrimination standards and policies that would lead to the elimination of causes of violence and inequality. She is considered one of the most experienced professionals in the field of combating human trafficking in Serbia, especially when it comes to programming and providing support to children who have survived sexual exploitation and child marriage.

Within the refugee crisis, that escalated in Europe in 2015 when over a million refugees passed through the Balkan transit route, Jelena insisted on a gender perspective and gender approach to the challenges refugee women and girls have been facing, especially in responding to gender-based violence and human trafficking these women suffered.

From a perspective of implementing policies to improve the position of the most vulnerable women and children, Jelena Hrnjak gave her contribution through active participation in creating standards of protection services in the field of human trafficking, as well as in developing local and national networks of institutions supporting structured and effective identification and protection of victims of trafficking, especially children.

Jelena has also, for almost a decade, worked as a journalist in Switzerland and Serbia, and graduated from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Belgrade. She is a member of the Act Now international expert working group against exploitation and human trafficking based in Vienna. She is an alumnus of the BFPE School of Political Excellence, as well as the Vital Voices program of the Global Partnership from the USA. Jelena is also the editor, author and co-author of numerous researches, analyses, and newspaper articles on the topic of human and women's rights protection.

Torgeir Hannas, Member

Torgeir Hannas is a senior manager with experience from both the non-profit and private sector.

From 1999 to 2001 he acted as the head of the reconstruction programs in BiH for the Norwegian Refugee Council facilitating return of IDP’s. From 2001 and the following 11 years the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs seconded him to lead IMG projects and programs across the former Yugoslavia. In 2012, Torgeir established their new country office in Myanmar, while preparing and launching multi-million Euro EU-funded projects.

Today, Torgeir is a partner and manager at Brooks Hannas & Partners, a Serbian-based company with mainly foreign clients operating within consulting and management in the environmental sector. Torgeir have a background from environmental technology at the University in Agder, Norway.

Ivanka Kostić, Member

Ivanka Kostic is a lawyer with significant experience in the field of human rights and forced migration. She has been involved in many regional and international social initiatives and sits on the Board of Trustees of the European Network on Statelessness.

Ivanka was a founder and executive director of Praxis until the end of 2020.

Ivanka’s experience and professional focus lies mainly on the protection of human rights of the displaced, marginalized and socially excluded persons, members of the Roma national minority, and persons at risk of statelessness in Serbia and the Balkan region, through providing legal aid and advocacy for legislative change as well as advancing cross-border cooperation among the Western Balkan states and increasing connections internationally.

INTERNAL MEMBER

Vladimir Lukić, Member

Vladimir Lukic is Community and Outreach Coordinator at NGO Praxis.

He studied at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade.

Vladimir acquired over 20 years of professional experience working in the non-governmental sector, focusing on the protection of human and minority rights, in particular of refugees, IDPs and members of Roma population, through the provision of free legal assistance, monitoring of the implementation of relevant legislation and advocating for systemic changes, elimination of legal gaps and improvement of practice.

He has been with Praxis for over 19 years. Over the years of working on protection of rights of the vulnerable population in the field, Vladimir has established excellent cooperation with relevant institutions, CSOs and activists at the local level in Serbia. A special focus in his work has always been on resolving the issues relating to access to rights at the local level through advocacy activities, networking and meetings with relevant local self-government institutions and service providers, thus significantly contributing to extending Praxis network of associates and partners. 

His dedication to the work of Praxis and protection of the most vulnerable is rarely matched. 

FORMER MEMBERS

Marija Dražović, Praxis Policy and Research Coordinator

Nada Šoškić, Praxis Senior Legal Adviser
Member of Praxis Board of Directors in the period December 2006 - December 2020

Nikola Bodiroga, Expert
Member of Praxis Board of Directors in the period November 2018 - December 2021

Tamara Lukšić-Orlandić, Child Rights Expert
President of Praxis Board of Directors in the period June 2016 - June 2020

Vladimir Ćurgus Kazimir, Director of Ebart Media Archive
Member of Praxis Board of Directors in the period June 2016 – November 2018

Vesna Petrović, Executive Director, Belgrade Centre for Human Rights
President of Praxis Board of Directors in the period June 2004 – June 2016

Vladimir Đerić, AHuman Rights Activist
Member of Praxis Board of Directors in the period June 2004 – June 2016

Stojan Cerović, Director of Ebart Media Archive
Member of Praxis Board of Directors in the period November 2007 – November 2013

Jadranka Koceić, Journalist, Vreme weekly
Member of Praxis Board of Directors in the period June 2004 - March 2005

Milena Gojković, Director, Micro Development Fund
Member of Praxis Board of Directors in the period May 2005 – May 2007

Ljuba Slijepčević, Praxis Senior Legal Adviser
Member of Praxis Board of Directors in the period June 2004 – December 2006