Nika Kovač is the founding director of the 8th of March Research Institute, a movement-building organisation that uses storytelling and advocacy to confront gender and economic inequalities across Slovenia.

Commemorating International Women’s Day, which is celebrated annually on March 8th, the 8th of March Research Institute works to break the silence around sexual violence by gathering testimonials and data on issues of rape, abortion, and sexual assault across the country. Under her leadership, the 8th of March Research Institute’s advocacy campaigns successfully initiated the legal redefinition of rape in Slovenia, enforcing a new legal precedent for the “yes means yes” consent model.

Nika Kovač has a master’s degree in social and cultural anthropology from the University of Ljubljana and was a member of the 2020 class of the Obama Foundation Leaders program in Europe.

She is also the author of two books, My Choice: Testimonies, Rights and Prejudices Regarding Abortion and Brave Girls.