“It is important for me to share this message so that other victims who have experienced something similar know they can take action. There are legal avenues, and we must never be afraid,” said Caroline Darian in a statement to Agence France-Presse.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, alleges that Dominique Pelicot drugged and sexually abused his daughter. Pelicot was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison in December after being found guilty of drugging his wife for years and inviting strangers to rape her in their home in Mazan, southern France.

During the trial, Darian stated that she was convinced she had also been a victim after discovering photos of herself unconscious on a bed, wearing underwear she did not recognize. Pelicot was convicted of distributing illicit photos of his daughter, which he had taken without her knowledge. However, he denied sexually abusing her.

“Yes, he denied it, but he has lied many times and given different versions of his story throughout the two-and-a-half-year investigation,” Darian emphasized. “We saw in court that Dominique was incapable of telling the full truth,” she added, acknowledging that the road to being officially recognized as a victim would be long.

Pelicot ’s trial and that of his accomplices shocked France and the international community. His 50 co-defendants, aged between 27 and 74, were found guilty of rape and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 3 to 15 years.