Gisèle Pelicot gave brief remarks to reporters outside the courthouse in Avignon, France, on Thursday after her ex-husband, Dominique, and 50 other men were convicted in a rape trial. Mr. Pelicot admitted to drugging and raping her over nearly a decade and inviting other men to participate.
Here is some of what Ms. Pelicot said:
“I think first of my three children: David, Caroline and Florian. I think also about my grandchildren — because they are the future, and it’s also for them that I waged this battle — and about my daughters-in-law.”
“I also think of all the other families affected by this tragedy,” she said. “Lastly, I think of the victims, unrecognized, whose stories often remain hidden. I want you to know that we share the same struggle.”
“I want to express my most profound gratitude to all the people who supported me during this ordeal,” Ms. Pelicot said. “Your testimony moved me, and I drew from it the strength to come back every day to face the long days of this trial.”
“By making this trial public from Sept. 2, I wanted for society to be able to take up the debates that followed,” she added. “I have never regretted that decision. I am now confident in our ability to collectively seize a future in which everyone, women and men, can live in harmony, respect and mutual understanding.”
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