Giselle Pelicot: a story of courage and the struggle of violence victims
19 december 2024 в 18:13
Giselle Pelicot became a heroine around the world. The courage of the 72-year-old woman, who refused anonymity in her case of sexual violence, sparked a movement in France and several countries for victims of violence to speak about their experiences. In the trial against her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, known as the mass rape case in Mazan, Giselle stated that for ten years she was drugged and raped not only by her ex-husband, but also by dozens of strangers he invited, filming the violence. Dominique was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated rape. Giselle and Dominique’s daughter, Caroline Darian, reflected on whether she was a victim of rape by Dominique, although he vehemently denied it. Caroline’s book, Et j’ai cessé de t’appeler papa (translated as And I stopped calling you dad, according to The Guardian), explores how she came to terms with the case against her father.
The three-month trial ended in December 2024. Supporters of Giselle and feminist groups campaigned for changes in cases of sexual violence and accountability for predators. According to the New York Post, Fanny Furr of the organization Les Amazones noted: «Men are starting to talk to women — their girlfriends, mothers, and friends — in a way they never did before. At first it was awkward, but now real dialogues are happening. Some women are realizing, perhaps for the first time, that their ex-husbands violated them, or that someone close to them committed violence. And men are starting to realize their own behavior or complicity — things they ignored or didn’t act on. It’s hard, but it’s causing change».
Learn more about Giselle Pelicot’s children and what they said about their father.
Giselle and Dominique have three adult children: two sons named David, 50, and Florian Pelicot, 38, and a daughter named Caroline, 45, according to several sources.
David and Florian testified in court in support of their mother and sister, whom Dominique filmed naked on hidden cameras. The Pelicot brothers also had the opportunity to confront their father, whom Florian called «the devil», - according to The Guardian.
«Learning that my father — one of the biggest criminals of the last 20 years — how can one recover from that?» Florian asked, before looking at Dominique and saying, «You always said our mother was a saint, but you were the devil in the flesh».
Florian also testified that his father filmed his current ex-wife when she was naked. He also recalled the years when Dominique secretly drugged Giselle, but at the time Florian and David thought their mother was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease because she sometimes behaved «sleepy» and absent-minded.
«I saw my mother disconnecting, I felt she was no longer with us. She was completely sleepy, looking ahead», - Florian said. «I said, 'Mom, are you okay? Dad, is there a problem?' He quickly stood up and said, 'I'll put her to sleep.' We went home. But imagine if I forgot something and went back to the house — what would I find? He planned to do to her what we now know he did».
Then David took the witness stand to discuss that his wife was also photographed naked by Dominique. «When I found out that my wife, pregnant with twins, was photographed — and I don’t know how many photos — I want to ask: 'How could you do such a thing?'» David asked his father in court.
The eldest Pelicot brother also noted that their sister «is fighting the hardest battle of her life, and we will always be by her side». David added, «I would like to say to all women who are mothers, and to all girls… when they start their lives as young women, please do not be afraid to speak. Omerta is over. We must speak».
Who is Giselle and Dominique’s daughter?
Caroline testified in court about the photographs her father took of her in bed.
«I know I was drugged. This is not an assumption, it is a fact», - she said
The three-month trial ended in December 2024. Supporters of Giselle and feminist groups campaigned for changes in cases of sexual violence and accountability for predators. According to the New York Post, Fanny Furr of the organization Les Amazones noted: «Men are starting to talk to women — their girlfriends, mothers, and friends — in a way they never did before. At first it was awkward, but now real dialogues are happening. Some women are realizing, perhaps for the first time, that their ex-husbands violated them, or that someone close to them committed violence. And men are starting to realize their own behavior or complicity — things they ignored or didn’t act on. It’s hard, but it’s causing change».
Learn more about Giselle Pelicot’s children and what they said about their father.
Giselle and Dominique have three adult children: two sons named David, 50, and Florian Pelicot, 38, and a daughter named Caroline, 45, according to several sources.
David and Florian testified in court in support of their mother and sister, whom Dominique filmed naked on hidden cameras. The Pelicot brothers also had the opportunity to confront their father, whom Florian called «the devil», - according to The Guardian.
«Learning that my father — one of the biggest criminals of the last 20 years — how can one recover from that?» Florian asked, before looking at Dominique and saying, «You always said our mother was a saint, but you were the devil in the flesh».
Florian also testified that his father filmed his current ex-wife when she was naked. He also recalled the years when Dominique secretly drugged Giselle, but at the time Florian and David thought their mother was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease because she sometimes behaved «sleepy» and absent-minded.
«I saw my mother disconnecting, I felt she was no longer with us. She was completely sleepy, looking ahead», - Florian said. «I said, 'Mom, are you okay? Dad, is there a problem?' He quickly stood up and said, 'I'll put her to sleep.' We went home. But imagine if I forgot something and went back to the house — what would I find? He planned to do to her what we now know he did».
Then David took the witness stand to discuss that his wife was also photographed naked by Dominique. «When I found out that my wife, pregnant with twins, was photographed — and I don’t know how many photos — I want to ask: 'How could you do such a thing?'» David asked his father in court.
The eldest Pelicot brother also noted that their sister «is fighting the hardest battle of her life, and we will always be by her side». David added, «I would like to say to all women who are mothers, and to all girls… when they start their lives as young women, please do not be afraid to speak. Omerta is over. We must speak».
Who is Giselle and Dominique’s daughter?
Caroline testified in court about the photographs her father took of her in bed.
«I know I was drugged. This is not an assumption, it is a fact», - she said
© Artemenko Olga
