The Observatory against Domestic Violence and Gender of the General Council of the Judiciary has indefinitely postponed the award ceremony for Gisèle Pelicot «out of respect for her decision not to expose herself publicly until the judicial process against her attackers is concluded.»
Thus, the Plenary of the Observatory, which in December decided to award one of the prizes of its XIX annual awards to Gisèle Pelicot, has agreed to postpone the delivery of the award without a set date. In this way, the Observatory «wants to show its respect for Pelicot’s wish not to expose herself publicly until the judicial process in which she is a party to is definitively concluded, as appeals against the sentence by several of her attackers are still pending resolution.»
French Gisèle Pelicot was a victim of organized rapes by her own husband. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum penalty, this Thursday in the Avignon court.
The Observatory has decided this Friday to award one of the prizes of the XIX edition of its awards to Emma Larreta –«intrepid woman, proud mother, and passionate defender of life,» as she defines herself– for the «pedagogical work she carries out after surviving a macho aggression that caused her a disability in her arms.»
To award the prize in the physical person category to Emma Larreta, the Observatory has valued «the strength, tenacity, and positive attitude shown by this woman, who has been able to overcome physically and psychologically the brutal murder attempt she suffered in April 2007 when her ex-partner stabbed her 27 times, and who has become an example for victims of gender violence.»
«Far from giving up, she felt she had to do something for all the women victims of this type of violence, to whom Larreta wants to convey that what they have experienced is not their fault, that they should not be ashamed, because those who should feel ashamed are the aggressors, and that there is a way out, because life deserves to be lived to the fullest,» said the Observatory.
Likewise, it has been explained that Larreta left her job and began to shape her first major project, «putting young people at the center,» because, according to this woman, «they are the ones who have the key to changing things.» Thus, with ‘InVISIBLES’ she visits educational centers, foster homes, and now also companies, «seeking to create a safe and friendly environment that fosters reflection and dialogue on many important, and sometimes thorny, issues such as disability, empathy, violence, and discrimination.»
Another project that Larreta is working on is Bidean (in Basque, «on the way»), a comprehensive support group designed specifically for women who have been victims of gender violence. She describes it as a place where women who have gone through similar experiences, all survivors, work together in search of the path that will lead them to «rebuild» their lives as «healthy, capable, and transformed women.»
In addition, Larreta has collaborated with various media outlets, a task that culminates with the recent publication of the book ‘The Map of My Scars’.
