Gisèle Pelicot's memoir was released Tuesday in 22 languages worldwide, sharing details of the horror she experienced and sending a powerful message of hope and support to victims of sexual abuse. "I wanted my story to help others."Gisèle Pelicot told France 5 last week, before the release of her book, An ode to life, shame must change sides.
Surviving and rebuilding
Gisèle Pelicot tells her story of survival in it, as well as in her first series of interviews since the landmark 2024 trial that made her a global icon against sexual violence and led to the imprisonment of her husband, who drugged her so that other men could assault her. "Today, I'm doing better, and this book has allowed me to reflect on myself and take stock of my life.", she said. "I had to try to rebuild myself on that field of ruins. Today, I am a woman who stands tall and strong."
Gisèle Pelicot explained that her book aims to convey "A message of hope to all women going through a very difficult period in their lives."
A case that shocks the world
The case, as well as Pelicot's decision to renounce anonymity and speak publicly, has sparked awareness of rape culture in France and beyond, her dignity and strength impressing many people around the world.
Gymnastics superstar and Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, herself a survivor of sexual abuse, paid tribute to Pelicot in a message broadcast by the BBC: “Gisèle has shown the world that it is not the victims of sexual abuse who should feel shame, it is the perpetrators. By giving up her anonymity and refusing to feel ashamed, Gisèle is paving the way for other victims to come forward.”
At the "Des Femmes" bookstore in Paris, several readers were eager to buy Gisèle Pelicot's book on its release day."I want to read it.", said Cécile Megueulle, who admires Pelicot. “But I think reading it will be… actually a little frightening. The fact of not being in her shoes but being able to see the other side of the mirror, how she experienced it and how she managed, I don’t know if we can say that, to get through it.”
Selma Memic, a lawyer in Geneva, added: "The case was known as 'the Pelicot case'... and now we're going to hear about 'Gisèle'. So, perhaps that's what I'm looking for. Who is Gisèle? What are her feelings? How does she view this trial in retrospect?"
Historic convictions
In December 2024, Pelicot's ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and 50 other men were convicted of sexually assaulting her between 2011 and 2020 while she was under the influence of drugs. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while the other defendants received sentences ranging from three to fifteen years.
An appeals court subsequently increased the sentence of Husamettin Dogan, a construction worker, who was the only defendant to contest his conviction.
Dominique Pelicot, to whom Gisèle Pelicot had been married for nearly 50 years, admitted that for years he mixed sedatives into his food and drinks so that he could rape her and invite other men to do the same.
A legislative awareness
The unprecedented trial revealed how online pornography, chat rooms, and distorted notions of consent can fuel sexual violence.
Last October, France adopted a law defining rape and other sexual assaults as any non-consensual sexual act, following the Pelicot case, thus joining many other European countries with similar consent-based laws, including Germany, Belgium, and Spain. Until then, rape was defined under French law as penetration or oral sex committed "by violence, coercion, threat, or surprise."
