Breaking the Silence: Turning Pain into Power

To celebrate SEMA’s 5th anniversary, in 2022 the Mukwege Foundation facilitated a collaboration between SEMA members and documentary photographer Rachel Corner to create a powerful series of photo portraits and testimonies documenting their journeys from surviving conflict-related sexual violence to becoming advocates and change-makers.

These portraits and interviews were published in the photobook Breaking the Silence, Turning Pain into Power, featuring 28 survivors and allies from across the SEMA Network. Through personal interviews and portraits, each story offers insight into the survivor’s path to advocacy, their dreams for the future, and their collective call for a world free from sexual violence