Welcome to our new Executive Director, Trajche Janushev
The Sex Workers’ Rights Advocacy Network is pleased to announce the appointment of Trajche Janushev as Executive Director as of January 1, 2025.
Trajche’s journey began in 2010 with STAR-STAR, a community-based organization in Skopje, North Macedonia. There, he was been actively involved as a project assistant, HIV counsellor, outreach coordinator, and social media officer. After moving to Vienna, Austria, Trajche continued his activism by coordinating and leading the NGO Red Edition, a migrant sex worker group. He worked on different levels, including fundraising, advocacy activities, and networking.
Trajche served as SWAN Management Committee Chair between 2015 and 2018 and has been a Programme Officer since June 2020. In this position, he closely worked with the SWAN Executive Director and secretariat on fundraising, networking, project implementation, advocating, and addressing the complexities surrounding sex work in the CEECA region. Meanwhile, Trajche was involved in other stakeholders’ work as an advisory committee member for both funders and networks, also part of the Youth Delegation 2013 in the UN and the sex work 2024 delegation in the Human Rights Council, and as a national consultant on topic for sex work for various academic and community-led research projects, briefing papers and articles.
We sincerely thank Staša Plećaš, the outgoing Executive Director, for her invaluable contributions and committed leadership. Staša has guided SWAN through critical periods, strengthening SWAN governance and advocacy efforts across the region, and always ensuring sex worker leadership in all processes. Staša will remain with SWAN as a Consultant/Adviser from January to March 2025 to transfer administrative, programmatic, and managerial responsibilities to Trajche.
On behalf of the SWAN Secretariat, Management Committee, and members, we thank Staša for her dedication and transformative work.
The entire SWAN team and network are excited for this new chapter in SWAN’s legacy and look forward to continuing working with its partners and allies and forging new relationships.
SWAN team