Gisèle Pelicot backs French campaign on drug-facilitated sexual assault

Gisèle Pelicot has joined a French public-information campaign launched on Monday, 28 September, by M’endors pas, the association founded by her daughter Caroline Darian. The campaign addresses drug-facilitated sexual assault and encourages people who suspect an attack, even without a clear memory of it, to seek specialist advice. It is being shown on French television and social media and in print and poster advertising.

Pelicot became known internationally after choosing to waive anonymity during the trial of her former husband and dozens of men who assaulted her while she was unconscious. Darian has since campaigned on the problem of people being drugged without their knowledge. The Guardian and French reporting describe the new campaign as an effort to help potential victims recognise warning signs and learn that evidence or support may still be available even when memories are incomplete.

The campaign directs people toward France’s Centre of Excellence on Substance-Facilitated Assaults, which can advise on possible evidence and next steps. Its message is about access to help, not a claim that every unexplained gap in memory proves a crime. The wider significance is that a high-profile case is being turned into practical information for people who might otherwise feel unable to report or discuss an assault.