Helping to end psychological violence in the Balkans

Image © Safer Families

The Balkan Fund for Local Initiatives (BCIF) was set up in 1999, to help support local initiatives in Serbia and Montenegro following the multiple wars in the 1990s that left lasting tensions and divisions across the Balkans.  

Since 2014, BCIF has been operating as a grant-making organisation under the name Trag Foundation, which helps empower local communities and strengthen women’s rights in the region, by addressing domestic violence, trafficking, exploitation, and other social problems that emerged following the war.

Over the last few years, Trag has expanded its efforts to target another form of violence – psychological violence in intimate relationships, also known as the silent epidemic. This insidious form of abuse leaves little to no trace, and people who experience it typically seek help only when violence turns physical. In addition, a lack of research and awareness of the issue can make it difficult for loved ones, health workers, and even survivors themselves to spot the signs.

The work is based on the results of a study that was carried out by  Safer Families Centre, based in Australia. The study found that coercive control, which includes psychological violence and financial abuse, is the most common form of domestic violence. Furthermore, even when perpetrators use physical violence, they have almost always used psychological tactics first. These results highlighted the importance of early intervention if there are signs of psychological violence, to prevent further harm developing down the line.

That is why Trag has put in place a comprehensive training programme for health professionals on psychological violence that’s adapted to the context of the Balkans. In collaboration with five organisations across Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and with guidance from Prof. Bosiljka Đikanović from the University of Belgrade, the project focuses on two aims. It helps health workers to understand what prevents survivors from accessing support, and it equips practitioners with the tools they need to look out for this form of violence, and to provide help, when needed.

The practitioner can start with something as simple as a question, followed by a compassionate, validating response. Do you feel safe to talk right now? Has anyone in your family ever made you feel unsafe? Thank you for sharing this with me: you’ve taken a big step.

So far, hundreds of paediatricians, nurses, and other health workers across the Balkans have engaged positively with the training. Many say it helped them to understand the nuances of psychological violence more deeply, and to recognise the crucial role they can play in early intervention.

“More domestic violence campaigns should focus on emotional abuse,” explains one survivor who took part in the Safer Families Centre study[1]. “We focus so much on the physical, but I can feel immediately when I am hit. It takes longer to feel gaslighting, manipulation and other emotionally heavy abuse.”

Broader activities to supplement the training – such as information leaflets, promotions on television, strengthened referral processes and new reporting hotlines – have also raised awareness around the issue of psychological violence in the Balkans.

“Every person’s experience of abuse is deeply personal, but in our research, we see the same patterns emerge,” says the leader of Safer Families Centre, Professor Kelsey Hegarty. “When we understand those patterns, not only can we stop psychological abuse in its tracks, but we can also break the chain to prevent further harm down the line.”

Further afield, the Safer Families Centre findings and resources are helping to inform the World Health Organization’s new Clinical Guidelines on Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence. “We’re proud to be making headway on a chronically under-researched issue, and we hope that our findings and resources can be adapted worldwide,” says Kelsey.
Oak supports the Safer Families Centre and Trag Foundation through our Issues Affecting Women Programme (IAWP). We draw inspiration from vibrant, women-led organisations and movements that support women and girls to be safe, free, and have an equal opportunity to thrive. The IAWP supports specific efforts to end domestic violence, stop psychological violence, and encourage research that leads to practical outcomes.

References:
[1]  Timelines of psychological, physical and sexual intimate partner violence among a nationally representative sample of Australian women – Elizabeth McLindon, Minerva Kyei-Nimakoh, Fiona C Giles, Kelly M FitzPatrick, Laura Tarzia, Kelsey Hegarty, 2025