Latest news with #DominiquePelicot
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Online pornography played a role in Gisele Pelicot's rape, daughter says
Caroline Darian said there was 'no way' her mother Gisele Pelicot would have been raped more than 200 times over the course of nearly a decade without the existence of online pornography. Speaking in conversation with actor and presenter Jameela Jamil at the Hay Festival, Ms Darian said 'you need to talk between guys' about social issues including 'online porn' that contribute to the prevelance of abuse. 'Porn is also part of this story,' she said in the Thursday conversation. Late last year, her farther Dominique Pelioct was handed the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for drugging his wife Gisele more than 200 times to rape her and inviting dozens of other men to rape her while he watched and filmed. Ms Jamil agreed that men needed to talk about issues surrounding sexual assault, especially in online spaces, because the nature of social media meant men and women were seeing different content on their algorithms, and content discussing consent was not necessarily reaching men and boys. 'There are so many men in my life, even who don't know all of the facts of this case in the way that women do,' she said. 'What we desperately need for you to do is to check your mates when they're saying things; is to not watch videos, consume videos, allow the success of manosphere podcasts or all this toxic content; challenge narratives when you see it.' Ms Darian was speaking at Hay Festival to promote her book, I'll Never Call Him Dad Again. She also told the festival she is not on speaking terms with her mother, after Darian told Pelicot she was also a victim of her father. Ms Darian claims to have also been a victim of chemical submission at the hands of her father, after being shown two pictures of her unconscious and wearing underwear that was not her own. 'She is not able to recognise that I probably was drugged by my father. It is a way for her to protect herself,' Ms Darian said. 'I think my mum is not able to recognise it because, otherwise, I think she's going to die.' Ms Darian said some aspects of the case and what had happened to her and her family both before and after the scale of her father's abuse was revealed was difficult, but she did not want to see herself as a victim. 'I'm not seeing myself as a victim... I'm more seeing myself as a part of the solutions,' she said.
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
Gisele Pelicot's Daughter Says Pornography Responsible For Rape Cases
Caroline Darian, the daughter of Gisele Pelicot who was drugged and raped by her husband and multiple other men, has blamed pornography for what her mother endured during her lifetime. She said her mother wouldn't have been raped over 200 times if there were no such pornographic content and websites. Speaking at the Hay Festival, the author-activist said abuse could result from "so many social problems like online porn," which is a "part of the system" of violence and misogyny. She attended the festival to promote her book 'I'll Never Call Him Dad Again.' A male audience member asked how men could "step up" and help end abusive patterns. Ms Darian said that "you need to talk between guys" about pornography, The Guardian reported. Gisele Pelicot was raped by multiple men, including Darian's father, Dominique Pelicot, for nearly a decade. She received massive support after refusing to remain anonymous during her ex-husband and other defendants' trial. Pelicot received a 20-year prison sentence last year. Ms Darian expressed sympathy for her mother, whom she no longer talks to. She claimed in her book that they had reached a "point of no return" in their relationship after her mother did not believe Ms Darian when she said her father had raped her. She said her mother's reluctance to stand behind her was a "means for her to protect herself." In a conversation with actor-activist Jameela Jamil, the author said her mother was unable to acknowledge that 'I probably was drugged by my father.' 'It is a way for her to protect herself,' she continued. She claimed it is "quite difficult" to acknowledge that your child has experienced abuse. "I believe my mother cannot recognise it because if she does, I think she's going to die," she said. In 2024, Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of drugging his wife Gisele several times over ten years and raping her. He also arranged for dozens of other men to rape her while he watched and recorded. He was ultimately given the maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. France's worst mass rape trial ever resulted in the conviction of 51 men. Darian Pelicot said that Dominique's actions had "a real impact on the whole family, and everyone from her family had a different position." She had accused Dominique Pelicot of drugging her and engaging in "sexual abuse" against her in a complaint filed in March. She said she filed a lawsuit as a "message to all victims" of drugged-out sexual abuse to keep fighting.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Gisèle Pelicot's daughter believes online pornography played role in rape case
There is 'no way' that Gisèle Pelicot would have been raped more than 200 times without the existence of pornography websites, her daughter has said. Caroline Darian said there were 'so many social problems like online porn' that can lead to instances of abuse. Pelicot survived nearly a decade of rapes by dozens of men, including her then husband Dominique Pelicot, Darian's father, who drugged his wife and facilitated the abuse. Pelicot rose to international fame last year for waiving her right to anonymity in the trial of her ex-husband and other defendants. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Darian was at the Hay festival in Wales promoting her book, I'll Never Call Him Dad Again. Asked by a male audience member how men can 'step up' and be part of breaking cycles of abuse, she said 'you need to talk between guys' about pornography, because it is 'part of the system' of misogyny and violence. The actor and activist Jameela Jamil, who was chairing the event, said that 'there are so many men in my life, even, who don't know all of the facts of this case in the way that women do'. What we 'desperately need' men to do 'is to check your mates' and challenge their misogynistic comments and behaviour, she said. Darian is a pen name, a combination of her brothers Florian and David's names, because she wanted to honour the fact that they have been so involved in the process of telling her story. Caroline Darian spoke with great compassion and admiration about her mother Gisele Pelicot (pictured). File photo: Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images The author spoke with great compassion and admiration about her mother, but explained that they were not currently on speaking terms. In her book, she wrote that they reached a 'point of no return' in their relationship after her mother did not believe Darian when she claimed her father had raped her. Darian told the Hay audience that she thinks her mother's reluctance to support her was a 'way for her to protect herself'. It's 'quite difficult' to accept that your child has been abused, she said. 'I think my mum is not able to recognise it because otherwise I think she's going to die.' Dominique Pelicot's actions have 'really impacted the whole family, and everyone from her family had a different position', she added. 'But I just have to be grateful for what [Gisèle Pelicot] did.' Telling her son, who was six at the time, about her father's actions was particularly hard, Darian said. She felt a responsibility to tell him the truth but 'it was a shock' as he had previously had a good relationship with his grandfather and 'loved him very much'. Her son saw a psychiatrist for almost four years after finding out the news, and Darian said she was 'trying to educate him about what is consent'. Raising a young man in a positive way was 'a question of open dialogue', she said, and 'a question of education'. The Guardian Read More Dominique Pelicot's daughter presses charges accusing him of sexual abuse
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Why Gisèle Pelicot and her daughter no longer speak
Caroline Darian, the daughter of Gisèle Pelicot, believes her mother denies Ms Darian's potential abuse by her father, Dominique Pelicot, as a form of self-protection. The pair no longer speak. Ms Darian claims her mother is unable to acknowledge that she was likely drugged by her father due to the taboo nature of incest in France. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2024 for drugging and raping his wife and arranging for other men to rape her, resulting in 51 convictions. Ms Darian claims she was also a victim of chemical submission by her father after discovering pictures of herself unconscious and partially undressed, but lacks concrete evidence of sexual abuse. Ms Darian has written a book about her experiences and founded the campaign 'Don't Put Me Under: Stop Chemical Submission'.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Caroline Darian says mother Gisèle Pelicot would ‘die' if she acknowledged her daughter was also a potential victim
Caroline Darian, the daughter of serial rape victim Gisèle Pelicot, says she thinks her mother would 'die' if she acknowledged that her daughter was also a potential victim of Dominique Pelicot. Speaking at Hay Festival, the activist and author claimed that the denial of her mother, whom she no longer talks to, was an act of self-protection. 'She is not able to recognise that I probably was drugged by my father. It is a way for her to protect herself,' Darian said while in conversation with actor and presenter Jameela Jamil. 'Incest in France is taboo. And there are a lot of victims where it's always the same situation. To recognise that your daughter, your son, is a victim – it's quite difficult. 'I think my mum is not able to recognise it because, otherwise, I think she's going to die.' Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison in 2024 after being found guilty of drugging his wife Gisèle multiple times over the course of a decade and both raping her and arranging for dozens of other men to rape her while he watched and filmed. A total of 51 men were convicted following France's worst ever mass rape trial, which sent shockwaves around the world. Gisèle waived her right to anonymity, telling media outlets after the verdicts: 'I wanted... to ensure that society could see what was happening. I never have regretted this decision. I now have faith in our capacity to collectively take hold of a future in which everybody... can live together in harmony, respect, and mutual understanding.' Darian claims to have also been a victim of chemical submission at the hands of her father, after being shown two pictures of her unconscious and 'almost naked', wearing underwear that was not her own. 'At the very beginning of the revelations, it was November (2020), I discovered some pictures of me, taken from my beloved father, where I'm totally sedated… He sedated me, like my mum. The main difference between my mum and me: my mum has all the evidence, all the proof of having been raped. But not me. I only have those pictures, almost naked, lying on the bed, with pants which are not mine.' She added: 'But I don't know what's happened before or after.' Darian claims the pictures of her had been shared online by her father, and she believes that she too was likely a victim of sexual abuse, something Dominique has always denied. According to Darian, she feels like an 'invisible victim' after the French legal system failed to recognise that she had been sedated by her father. She and Gisèle 'are not talking anymore', Darian revealed in the interview, stating: 'It's difficult to talk about my mum.' She added that her mother is 'going well, she's well-supported, she's writing'. She needs to tell her own story,' Darian said, concluding by urging others to share their experiences of abuse. 'I'd like to help all victims, invisible victims, to have the courage to talk, and to share their stories,' she said. 'Because every story, each of us, that's how we'll change the world. It's not only one person. It's all of us together.' Darian has authored the book I'll Never Call Him Dad Again about her experiences and founded the campaign 'Don't Put Me Under: Stop Chemical Submission'.
