[Part 1/2] “I’m able to talk about it today, but it took a lot of work. I haven’t seen my father for a long time because… he was a rapist. He rapied my younger sister. I saw it happen. I was 6 and my sisters was 2. I was the one to tell my mother about it. It happened once, but it was one time too many. My mother had to close her shop, close the house, take all the furniture, leave the Reunion Island for mainland France with her three kids, me and my two younger sisters.

We started the criminal proceedings in Paris. I was in the tribunals from 8 to 17 years old. It was very, very long, and involved psychologists and judges for juveniles. And the funny part in that story is that the judge in charge of the case was tried 5 years later for child sexual abuse. Just to show you the complexity of the story. My father was a teacher in a primary school. But with that judge he was authorized to keep his job throughout the trial for more than 5 years. We didn’t even get the right to stay away from our father. They tried to force us to visit him because he still had his parental rights, which for me was inconceivable. It was out of the question. If I had seen him, I would’ve jumped on him and ripped out his carotid. Oh, it was a nightmare!

He was supposed to get 4 years in prison with a two-year reprieve. But he didn’t get anything in the end. He’s still a school teacher. There are many cases like that. The world is full of injustice. When you know the right people in the kind of place where I used to live, in the Islands, you can basically do what you want. In mainland France the influence of my family wouldn’t have been that strong. Because I come from an important family of the Reunion Island, a part of which is an old stupid nobility branch. And when you know people, it helps. There is no justice. This kind thing doesn’t exist. At least, I haven’t seen it!”

(Carouge | translated from French)