Giselle Pelicot receives Woman of Courage award and urges abuse websites be shut down
Giselle Pelicot has received the Woman of Courage award in London and called for online platforms that enable sexual abuse to be shut down, saying the abuse is a plague on society.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Giselle Pelicot has received the Woman of Courage award at the Women of the Year awards in London, using the occasion to call for the shutdown of online sites that enable sexual abuse. In an interview after the ceremony, she said the issue had become a plague on society and that platforms must be closed quickly because new ones appear as soon as others are taken down.
Mrs Pelicot became a public figure after she waived her right to anonymity during the trial of her former husband, Dominique Pelicot. He is serving a 20-year sentence in France for drugging and raping her and for allowing other men to assault her while she was unconscious. The court heard he invited at least 70 men he met online to do the same at their own homes. The abuse lasted almost a decade.
Speaking after the ceremony, she said she did not feel brave and was accepting the award for all women who have suffered sexual violence. 'People call me courageous but I accepted this award for all women victim of sexual violence. I could not keep this award just for me. It is for all women,' she said. She said the trial had given women a voice after many had lost confidence and dignity, and that she was proud if her story had become a flagship for the struggle.
She also warned that such crimes are widespread. 'Of course this is very shocking and frightening to see that they are not isolated cases and a wider issue in every society. It has no border, no generation,' she said. Men, she added, were meeting online to organise, facilitate and encourage abuse, and those who commit such acts must know that rape is a crime.
Asked about shame, she said there was still a long way to go before women could free themselves from the chain that stops them talking. Women needed to keep fighting and to have a voice. She said she wanted to ask Mr Pelicot why he inflicted so much suffering on her and their family, and whether he realised the harm he caused.
Despite the abuse, she said her message was one of hope and love. She said it was important not to look back and to allow herself to be happy, and that she had found love again. She described meeting the Queen earlier this year as a beautiful meeting with a woman committed to issues around violence against women and domestic abuse. Her book, she said, carries the same message of hope and love.
During the interview, she continued to refer to her former husband as Mr Pelicot rather than her ex-husband. She said women must be heard and supported, and that her story had reached further than she could have imagined.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Dominique Pelicot is serving a 20-year sentence in France for drugging and raping Giselle Pelicot and enabling other men to assault her while she was unconscious. | |
| Giselle Pelicot received the Woman of Courage award in London and called for online sites that enable sexual abuse to be shut down. | |
| Giselle Pelicot waived her right to anonymity to give evidence and became a campaigner and inspiration to other survivors. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV Evening News led its segment on the exclusive interview and framed Pelicot as a global campaigner and inspiration. It gave more space than the later bulletin to personal and emotional material, including her meeting with the Queen, her new relationship, her book and the question of whether shame has changed sides. The tone was sympathetic and reflective, with a studio discussion after the interview stressing her dignity and her demand that survivors be heard and supported.
- “Giselle Pelicot has told ITV News that online sites which enable the sharing of sexual abuse are a plague on society and should be shut down.”
- “People call me courageous but I accepted this award for all women victim of sexual violence.”
- “There is still a long way to go before women can free themselves from the chain that prevents them from talking.”
ITV News at Ten treated the interview as a major exclusive, placing it after international news and leading with a summary of the Pelicot case. It was more tightly edited than the evening bulletin, focusing on the award, the online platform call and the scale of the abuse, and it included the detail that Dominique Pelicot invited at least 70 men he met online. It dropped the evening's studio discussion and several personal exchanges, including the Queen meeting and the shame question answer, giving the item a harder news feel.
- “Gisèle Pelicot is, I'm sure you remember, the woman who stood up in a French court and publicly unmasked her husband and dozens of strangers for abusing her while she was drugged.”
- “For almost a decade, her husband secretly drugged and raped her.”
- “Shame must change sides, she said.”
Broadcast Timeline
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