Milena Rusu

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT MILENA RUSU

Milena Rusu is a human rights activist from the Republic of Moldova. Her efforts particularly focus on combating & preventing gender-based violence and advocating for mandatory comprehensive sex education in schools.In 2020, at 16 years old, Milena founded Feminismd, the first youth-led feminist organization in Moldova. Since its foundation, Feminismd has reached over students with training on gender equality, amassed a social media following of young people, and created the first Self-Help Guide for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Romanian. In 2022, Feminismd partnered with UN Women Moldova to create \"EmpowHER\" Academy, the first youth-led activist mentoring program in the country. In 2023, Feminismd hosted the first National Feminist Youth Conference in Moldova, „Pathway to Equality”.Milena currently serves as Chair of the Youth Leadership Council and on the Board of the Global Fund for Children and WAVE Youth Ambassador. She is also the only Eastern European in the OHCHR Human Rights 75 Youth Advisory Group, and Co-president of the UN Youth Advisory Panel in Moldova.Beyond her leadership roles, Milena has extensive experience as a trainer on diverse gender-based issues. She has spoken at high-level events, such as the Launch of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign in the Moldovan Parliament and the International Conference for Preventing and Combating Gender-Based Violence and VAWG.Milena is currently a student at Vanderbilt University, pursuing a BA in Political Science and Economics. She is committed to leveraging her academic and activist efforts to advance gender equality and social justice on a global scale.