Recipients of the “Anđelka Milić” Award for 2026: Recognition of knowledge, commitment, and responsibility

We are pleased to share that this year’s recipients of the “Anđelka Milić” Award for 2026 are women whose work not only shapes the understanding of gender equality but also influences how society responds to violence.

We are especially proud that among the awardees are our colleagues Jelena Ćeriman, Andrijana Radoičić Nedeljković, and Jelena Hrnjak, who received the award for the monograph Care in Crisis: Rethinking Institutional Ethics for Trafficking Survivors in Serbia Amidst the Pandemic (Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Belgrade, 2025).

The experiences of women who have survived human trafficking are not simply testimonies; they are at the core of this publication. They offer insight into how systems function in moments when support is most needed. In her speech, Jelena Hrnjak also raised important questions about the role of institutions and accountability, pointing out that the key issue is not a lack of knowledge but the absence of a system willing to act in the interests of victims rather than protect itself.

This monograph contributes to a deeper understanding of institutional ethics in work with women who have survived trafficking, opening up important questions about responsibility, the role of trauma, and the importance of trust in support processes. Its particular strength lies in the fact that it is grounded not only in theory, but in the lived experiences of women who have survived violence, recognizing them as contributors to knowledge, not only as recipients of support.

The “Anđelka Milić” Award for 2026 was presented in several categories:

For the best academic work in the field of gender studies:

Danijela Spasić, for the monograph Women and Crime: From Portrait to Landscape (University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies, Belgrade, 2025)

and

Zorana Simić, for the monograph Emancipation as a Vocation: Women Editors in the Kingdom of SHS/Yugoslavia (Institute for Literature and Arts, Belgrade, 2025)

For contribution to the development of knowledge in gender studies:

Jelena Ćeriman, Jelena Hrnjak, and Andrijana Radoičić Nedeljković, for the monograph Care in Crisis

and

Tijana Matijević and Milica Resanović, for editing the collection Everyone Is Afraid of Gender: Contemporary Contestations and Uses of the Concept in Serbia (Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Belgrade, 2025)

For introducing and promoting practices that contribute to gender equality:

Brankica Janković, lawyer and advocate for human and women’s rights

For a creative contribution in the field of feminist theory and practice:

Hristina Cvetinčanin Knežević, for the online platform “Feminism from the Gym.”

This award bears the name of Professor Anđelka Milić, whose legacy continues to shape generations committed to dignity, equality, and the right of women to be seen and heard.

For us at NGO Atina, this recognition carries particular significance. It affirms that the experiences of women who have survived trafficking are not only testimonies but knowledge that should inform how support systems are built and sustained.