Theatre as a Catalyst for Change: Confronting Alcohol’s Role in Violence Against Women
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, violence against women in intimate relationships is widespread, yet only a fraction of cases ever reach the police. To break the silence, the Center for Youth Education (CEM), a Movendi International member organisation, has developed Hidden Shadows, a socially engaged theatre production supported by the international development cooperation of Movendi Sweden, another member of Movendi International. The production brings the hidden reality of alcohol-driven domestic violence into public view, transforming community awareness and institutional engagement across the Western Balkans.
The initiative came out of CEM’s participation in the Movendi International campaign Inspire Freedom – addressing alcohol’s role in gender-based violence and calling for change.
What began as a local initiative in the Bosnian town of Travnik has grown into a regional movement. Now in its 10+ year, Hidden Shadows has been performed more than 100 times across Bosnia and the wider region, reached at least 200,000 people through media exposure, and even made its way to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York with the help of Movendi International, where the event was so popular that participants sat on the floor to attend.
A Reality Too Often Ignored
The play opens with a scene that many women will recognize: a couple appears loving and affectionate until the man’s expression suddenly changes. What follows is an intense physical sequence that, without explicit contact, shows emotional terror, coercion, and the escalation of violence. The actors demonstrate the “honeymoon period,” the temporary calm that often follows abuse in cycles of gender-based violence – a stark reminder of how violence is normalised and repeated in many relationships.
For actor Matej Baškarad, participating in the production has been transformative:
When I first researched the role, I was shocked,” he told Accent magazine.
It felt as if someone had split me in two. I became cold. I wanted to cry.”
Matej Baškarad, actor
Why Theatre? Because Silence Allows Violence to Thrive
CEM created Hidden Shadows in response to research showing that only five percent of violence against women in intimate relationships is reported to the police. Rather than producing brochures or running seminars, the team decided to use theatre – a medium with emotional immediacy and public visibility – to spark dialogue.
What we face is not just an individual problem,” says Adis Arnautović, Executive Director of CEM, as per Accent reporting.
It is a societal problem. Our entire community looks away. We are all responsible.”
Adis Arnautović, Executive Director, CEM
The production is intentionally designed to prevent that. Audience members sit surrounded by police tape, symbolically placing the responsibility for violence on the community, not just the individuals on stage.
Impact Across Schools, Communities, and Institutions
The power of Hidden Shadows lies in its authenticity: every scene is based on real cases collected from interviews with survivors, social services, police officers, and community organizations. The production confronts not only the dynamics of abuse but also how institutions – police, social welfare services, and courts – respond, often inadequately.
The theatre format allows for moments of direct interaction. Midway through the play, actors step into the audience to ask questions such as: “If your neighbour was being beaten, who would you call?” The answers often reveal social norms – and harmful acceptance of violence – that rarely surface in public settings.
Actor Renata Ignjić recalls a chilling moment:
We asked, ‘Have you ever hit your wife?’ and a man said, ‘Yes, of course.’ That is how normalised this is.”
Renata Ignjić, Actor
The production frequently evokes intense emotional reactions. Audience members leave shaken, tearful, and often motivated to act. After one performance, an elderly man told the cast: “This play should be shown before the evening news every day.”
A Decade of Impact Across the Region
Over more than ten years, Hidden Shadows has become a significant awareness-raising tool across the Western Balkans. The campaign has attracted over 5,000 visitors, generated more than 100 media articles, and reached at least 200,000 people with information about alcohol harm and violence. It has also earned recognition from international donors, including the Swedish Institute, UN Women, the U.S. Embassy, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the world’s largest regional security organisation.
Building Institutional Cooperation and Shifting Professional Norms
A defining achievement of the initiative is its integration into professional training structures. The project has catalyzed cooperation between police, courts, prosecutors, social services, mental health institutions, and ministries of education. The Ministry of Internal Affairs now uses the play in training processes for police officers, and the OSCE Mission in Vienna has incorporated Hidden Shadows into its regional police training programs, demonstrating its value in shifting institutional understanding of alcohol-related violence.
Theatre as a Powerful Tool for Awareness and Prevention
Adis emphasized that theater creates a transformative space for communities and institutions to confront the realities of alcohol-related domestic violence, reflect on harmful norms, and motivate social change. He encouraged partners in other countries to consider similar art-based methodologies as part of comprehensive violence-prevention strategies.
From Community Awareness to Policy Advocacy
Because of its growing impact, the play has been integrated into police training programmes in the region. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Vienna now use Hidden Shadows to train police officers, helping them better understand the realities of domestic violence and the role of alcohol in escalating harm.
School performances, accompanied by post-show discussion sessions, have become especially meaningful for the cast and crew – offering young people a rare, safe space to speak about violence and question harmful norms.
Beyond theatre performances, CEM has turned Hidden Shadows into a wider advocacy campaign. In each city, the organization posts banners with facts about alcohol-related violence, collaborates with prominent local figures, and engages politicians to encourage policy change.
If we don’t influence decision-makers, nothing will change,” says programme coordinator Nedim Pripoljac.
Nedim Pripoljac, programme coordinator, CEM
Hidden Shadows also distributes information cards with helpline numbers at every performance, recognizing the urgent need for support among survivors who see their own lives reflected on stage.
A Spotlight on Alcohol’s Role in Gender-Based Violence
The production keeps alcohol at the centre of the story – not as an excuse for violence, but as a driver that increases its frequency, severity, and unpredictability. By exposing how alcohol interacts with harmful gender norms and entrenched silence, Hidden Shadows provides a powerful community-based lens on a global human rights issue.
This play is my life.”
Young woman in the audience
As Renata recalls, one young woman told the cast after a performance: “This play is my life.”
She stayed long after the theatre emptied, crying and embracing the actors. “That moment showed me that what we do really matters,” Renata says, as per Accent Magazine.
Breaking the Silence: Not Being a Shadow
With a simple yet powerful message – Do not be a shadow. Speak up. – Hidden Shadows urges communities to acknowledge violence, confront harmful norms, and act. Through art, advocacy, and community engagement, CEM is reshaping public dialogue about alcohol-driven domestic violence and pushing institutions and policymakers to take responsibility.
Edin Džeko supports the “Hidden Shadows” campaign
The Hidden Shadows campaign has also gained powerful public visibility through the support of prominent Bosnian figures, including former national football team captain Edin Džeko, acclaimed author Nura Bazdulj-Hubijar, and Olympic judoka Larisa Cerić.
Their involvement has helped bring national attention to the fact that one in four women in Bosnia and Herzegovina experiences violence, most often at the hands of family members. By using familiar and accessible formats such as theatre and exhibitions, the Hidden Shadows campaign reaches everyday citizens and creates space for public dialogue about a problem that is too often hidden or ignored. The theatre production itself was built from testimonies of women survivors, grounding the campaign in lived experience and amplifying the voices of those most affected by alcohol-driven violence.
