Olena Shevchenko is a human rights defender from Ukraine who focuses on defending the rights and interests of the LGBT community and women. Since 2012 she has been the head of Insight NGO, which was founded in 2008. Insight NGO is a unique LGBTQI organisation due to its specialisation in the protection of women’s rights and feminist principles of work. Insight NGO actively works with transgender people in Ukraine. Insight NGO is now a well-known and influential advocacy organisation both in Ukraine and internationally; it promotes human rights and handles cases in the European Court of Human Rights. Olena graduated with distinction from the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University. In 2010-11 she was a co-chair at the IGLYO International Organisation, which helped to integrate an international working experience on a national level. She is a co-author of research for the publication LGBT Rights Alphabet. Since 2016 she has been joint head of the Coalition for Combating Discrimination in Ukraine. In October 2016 she was elected a board member at the ILGA-Europe International Human Rights Organisation.
