This is what she looked like the day after her boyfriend beat her.

These powerful images show us all that #Silencehidesviolence.

Warning: This post deals with domestic abuse and could be distressing for some readers.

The first thing 27-year-old Brooke Beaton did after her boyfriend beat her was call the police.

The second to call was an old school friend – a photographer.

It was time to make a statement.

The images taken just last week have now gone viral – being shared thousands upon thousands of times.

Brooke Beaton, from South Dakota in the US, enlisted the help of an old school friend – one she had not seen for more then ten years, photographer friend Tiffany Thoelke – to document the abuse.

Brooke had been driving a car with her partner – a friend of eight years, a lover of four months as a passenger when he assaulted her.

She told The Argus Leader he punched her face with his fist, struck her again, choked her and tried to wrestle away her phone. She feared for her life.

“I ended up at a gas station about five miles away from where we were,” Beaton said. “He was wiping up the crime scene with a paper towel from the gas pump.”

Finally he let her go. She drove home and called an ambulance and the police and her old friend Tiffany Thoelke.

Ms Thoelke says that was the moment her friend’s fear turned into courage.

Ms Thoelke posted the images on Facebook along with this statement:

I write this with a heavy heart. Today I saw a post of my childhood friend that tore me apart. During conversation she said, “We need to do a shoot to raise awareness about domestic violence.” I said, “Yeah we can any weekend,” (thinking the normal, makeup and such) swamped with editing and deadlines. She says to me, “No, like, as in now, I want it to be real.” Without hesitation, I agreed. I was taken aback by her courage, in a time when so many women just don’t have it.

This is not makeup, this is Brooke, my beautiful friend, a mother, a model, an all around amazing woman… with real bruises. This is real. Brooke’s strength during this time is everything you hope for in someone who has experienced such trauma. 80% of the women who are abused, do not speak about it… and they do not leave. Brooke, days later, decided she was going to speak out and stand up, with courage and confidence. She was going to be the voice for the countless other women who didn’t and don’t have one.

Photography to me is about changing the world, its about educating others, its about inspiring others, its about expressing yourself. Its about making people aware of things they had no idea were going on in the world we live in. Photography to me is much more than the “adorable family shoots” and the “fashion shoots,” its about making a change. 1 in 4 women are affected everyday by domestic violence and men are too. I noticed upon looking for inspiration for this session that… there really isn’t anything out there… and if there is… I am unaware. I was taken aback by the fact that there wasn’t much, and WE hope to change that. I also hope that through Brooke’s courage and strength we can give other women the strength to come forward and help put this man away. She is the only one out of many to take a stand. By liking this photo you do not “support” what happened to Brooke or any other person. You are showing your support for someone who decided to speak out, who decided she was going to be the one to make it stop and help others… You are also making it OK for other women to know that it’s ok to talk about it, it’s ok to walk away and that, they have support. I feel at a loss for words, unsure if these are even the right ones to write. I just know, we just know, it’s gotta stop… We know we can’t make it stop entirely, but we know we have the power to make a difference in someone’s life, and that right there… if even just 1, is all that matters. #silencehidesviolence —

The images have now been shared around the world and are already making a difference with other victims of domestic violence coming forward – breaking the silence.

One woman wrote: “Your amazing pictures of Brooke broke my heart. I also carry scars from domestic violence, and I am touched with how you brought the reality of what women in these relationships live. Thank you, and Brooke, for the bravery that these pictures represent”.

Another: “After just recently getting out of an abusive situation that landed my (now ex) in jail and me in the ER, I needed to see this. The struggle and the after effects are real and deeper then bruises. We are not victims who should be ashamed, but survivors who need to help those who can’t break there silence. Prayers to you. Your courage is beautiful..this brought me to tears.”

Brooke Beaton’s partner was arrested for domestic aggravated assault and interference with emergency communication, when he stopped her from using her phone to call for help.

In Australia, we know that one in three women report experiencing sexual, physical, emotional or financial abuse, usually at the hands of a male intimate partner or someone they know.

Around the world, the figure too is one in three. One billion women – of which Brooke Beaton is just one face.

But her powerful face captured so raw in these images is a step in a very much needed conversation about domestic violence.

“It opened a conversation that could go on forever,” Ms Thoelke told The Argus Leader.

“Where it goes from here, I’m not sure. It’s only been a couple of days, but it’s hitting powerful, powerful people that I’m hoping will use this as their platform.”

  For support 24/7 for Domestic abuse and Family Violence call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).