Gisèle Pelicot says shame must change sides

Rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot says the videos of her being assaulted by her husband and dozens of strangers are "etched in my memory forever." "We cannot describe videos of such horror," she told PBS News Hour co-anchor Amna Nawaz. "So it helped me to think that this woman was not me because she was just like a rag doll, who had no more soul, no more life, who was being abused." Pelicot discovered in 2020 that her husband had been repeatedly drugging and raping her for close to a decade, inviting dozens of strangers to abuse her. During her landmark public mass rape trial in 2024, Pelicot waived her right to anonymity, and all 51 men were found guilty. To prepare for the trial, Pelicot’s lawyers encouraged her to watch the videos of her assaults, which she’d previously avoided. Pelicot recalled feeling she needed to "expose" her abusers so they faced the consequences for what they did. "It was for them to bear the burden of shame, not the victims," she said. Pelicot spoke to Nawaz about her experience, her recently published memoir, "A Hymn to Life: Shame Must Change Sides," and the global reckoning over sexual assault. Watch the full conversation Wednesday night on PBS News Hour. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour