France’s Gisèle Pélicot, who became a global symbol in the fight against sexual violence after waiving anonymity during the Mazan rape trial, has been awarded the 2025 Freedom Prize by thousands of young people around the world.
The 72-year-old was chosen by more than 10,000 voters from 84 countries for her stand against the normalisation of rape and sexual abuse. Her younger son, Florian, accepted the award on her behalf at a ceremony in Caen, Normandy, on Tuesday.
“Seeing today’s youth, through this prize, make my mother’s fight their own, associating freedom with consent, gives even more meaning to this battle,” Florian Pélicot said.
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Years of abuse
Between 2011 and 2020, Gisèle Pélicot was drugged without her knowledge by her then-husband, Dominique Pélicot, who invited at least 50 men to rape her in their home in Mazan, in southern France.
When the case went to trial in 2024, she refused both anonymity and a closed-door hearing – saying she wanted to shift “the shame” away from victims.
“That the youth, through this prize, associates freedom with respect for others, attention to consent and dialogue fills me with joy and confidence in the future. Thank you!” Gisèle Pélicot said in a written message shared by organisers.
All 51 men were convicted in December by a criminal court in Avignon. One of them has appealed. A retrial is set to begin on 7 October in Nîmes. Pélicot is observing strict media silence until the case concludes.
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Support for victims
The Freedom Prize comes with €25,000, which Pélicot said she would donate entirely to AMAV, a victims’ support group in Avignon that assisted her during the trial.
At the awards ceremony, Florian Pélicot ended his speech with “Mum, I love you!”, drawing long applause from the crowd of 4,000 young people and 26 World War II veterans.
Gisèle Pélicot was recently named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025 and is also a finalist for the Council of Europe’s Vigdis Prize.
“Through Gisèle Pélicot, the world’s youth honours those who defend human dignity against violence and forgetting,” said Ouissem Belgacem, president of the Freedom Prize jury.
The prize was created in 2019 by the Normandy region to honour recent and exemplary fights for liberty, peace and human rights.
Past recipients include climate activist Greta Thunberg and Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaïza.
