In December, Gisèle Pélicot’s ex-husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging her and inviting numerous men to sexually assault her in their home in France. This abuse lasted nearly ten years. Now, her daughter, Caroline Darian, is speaking out about her own suspicions that her father also abused her.
Unlike her mother’s case, there is currently no evidence to confirm what Dominique Pélicot may have done to Caroline. However, in a recent interview with the BBC, Caroline, 46, said she believes her father drugged her, likely to sexually abuse her. Despite her suspicions, she has no proof... Continue reading here ▶
Caroline explained that her suspicions started when police showed her two photos they found on her father’s computer. The photos showed her unconscious in bed, wearing only a shirt and underwear. At first, she didn’t recognize herself in the pictures. “I couldn’t believe it was me,” she told the BBC. “But then the officer pointed out a brown mark on my cheek and said, ‘It’s you.’ That’s when I realized.”
Caroline said the way she appeared in the photos reminded her of similar pictures of her mother taken during her abuse. “I was lying on my left side, just like my mother in all her pictures,” she said. Caroline has since written a book, I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again, about her family’s trauma. The book is set to be released on January 14.
Dominique denied abusing his daughter and gave a different explanation for the photos. Caroline, however, doesn’t believe him. “I know he drugged me, probably for sexual abuse,” she said. “But unlike my mother’s case, I don’t have evidence. And that’s the reality for so many victims. They aren’t believed because there’s no proof. They aren’t heard or supported.”
Gisèle, nearly a month after her ex-husband’s sentencing, is recovering and doing well, Caroline shared. But Caroline continues to carry the heavy burden of being both the daughter of a victim and of a perpetrator. She said her relationship with her father is over. She struggles to think of him as her dad and only refers to him that way by mistake.
“When I look back, I don’t remember the father I thought I had. I only see the criminal he is,” Caroline told the BBC. “But I share his DNA. My work to advocate for victims of abuse is a way to distance myself from him. I’m completely different from Dominique.”
Caroline described her father as “not sick” but a “monster” who knew exactly what he was doing. She believes he should spend the rest of his life in prison. “He is dangerous, and there’s no way he should ever be released,” she said.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to speak with a certified crisis counselor.
