# Combat Survivor Portraitures Sarah Fretwell Travels to the DRC to Raise Awareness By Ariel Weber | Published 2013-02-20 | World Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sarah-fretwell References: [mymodernmet](http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/sarah-fretwell-the-truth-told-project) & [thetruthtold](http://www.thetruthtold.com/) Photojournalist Sarah Fretwell traveled to war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo for 50 days to capture the brave women and children who persevered through tragedy to tell their story in the Truth Told Project. Tragically enough, the statistic “one girl or woman is raped every minute” is one that not enough people are aware of. Sarah Fretwell put together the Truth Told Project because she wanted to raise awareness and allow people to put faces to a name and give helpless women and children a voice. These extremely powerful images highlight this tragedy and capture their sweet and innocent faces. These women pictured in the photographs have persevered through a damaging experience as victims of unimaginable sexual violence during war. However, though their heartbreaking tales are ones, which share a horrendous circumstance, they have been able to persevere and continue fighting for their lives and well-being each passing day. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.3/10 - Popularity: 47% | Activity: 74% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [World](https://www.trendhunter.com/world) > [World News](https://www.trendhunter.com/worldnews) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Combat Survivor Portraitures:** The trend of capturing powerful and emotional images of survivors of war and violence to raise awareness and give them a voice. - **Raising Awareness:** The trend of using visual storytelling to shed light on social issues and bring attention to statistics that are not widely known or understood. - **Empowering Voices:** The trend of giving marginalized individuals, such as women and children affected by violence, a platform to share their stories and advocate for change. ### Who This Affects Most - **Photojournalism:** Opportunity for photojournalists to use their skills to contribute to important social causes and create impactful visual narratives. - **Non-profit Organizations:** Opportunity for non-profit organizations focused on women's rights and social justice to collaborate with photographers and leverage powerful imagery to raise awareness and support their mission. - **Advocacy and Awareness Campaigns:** Opportunity for organizations to develop and execute campaigns that utilize visual storytelling to educate the public, challenge stigmas, and drive social change. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Travel-Inspired Canvas Paintings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-passport-series.md) - [Immigration System-Inspired Artworks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/passport-series.md) - [Artist-Backed Women Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ramona-pintea.md) - [Empowering Watermark Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/online-rights.md) - [Uplifting Breast Cancer Initiatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/uncovered-project.md) - [Journalist-Focused Short Films](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-shooting.md) - [Mental Health-Supporting Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-last-photo.md) - [Mock Social Good Fashion Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/not-models-own.md) - [Handcrafted Flower Crown Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/handcrafted-flower-crown.md)