The memoir of a Lifetime Hymn by French rape victim Gisèle Pelicot will be released next year
PARIS (AP) – Gisèle Pelicot has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in drug and rape cases, a trial that has riveted France last year and turned her into a global idol and will publish her memoir next year.
“The hymns of life will be published in English, French and 20 other languages,” British publisher The Bodley Head said in a statement late Thursday.
“I am very grateful for the extraordinary support I have received since the trial began. Now, I want to tell my own story in my own words,” Palicott said.
She added: “Through this book, I hope to convey strength and courage to all those suffering from hardships. May they never feel ashamed. As time goes by, they even wish that they will learn to taste life and find peace again.”
Last year, 51 men were convicted of the court in the southern French city of Avignon, which sentenced three to 20 years in a shocking case, which stimulated the nation’s abuse of rape culture.
Pelicot’s ex-husband Dominique Pelicot and one of his co-defendants were found guilty of sexual assault on her for nearly a decade. Another co-defendant was convicted and raped his wife with the help of Dominique Pelicot.
Gisèle Pelicot became a hero for many people in France, and had the courage to demand a man’s trial in an open court. Evidence includes abusive homemade videos of Dominique Pelicot filmed in the Provence town of Mazan and elsewhere by Dominique Pelicot in the couple’s retirement home.
