A woman, now 62 years old, has bravely shared her harrowing 28-year ordeal inflicted by her stepfather. Lydia Gouardo endured a nightmarish existence of abuse, torture, and rape, enduring unimaginable suffering starting at the age of eight when she was confined to an attic in 1971.
Despite attempting to escape multiple times in the initial years, Lydia was repeatedly returned to her abuser by French authorities, enduring burns from scalding water and acid. The torment continued until her stepfather’s death in 1999, hidden from the oblivious village of Crecy-la-Chapelle near Paris.
Alongside her stepmother, Lucienne, Lydia suffered further abuse, beginning with her mother’s violent act of forcing her into a scalding bath as a child, causing severe burns and interrupting her education.
In 2008, Lydia courageously came forward to reveal the extent of her suffering, recounting relentless rape at the hands of Raymond Gouardo. Despite Lucienne’s knowledge of the abuse, she did nothing to stop it, resulting in a four-year suspended sentence.
Lydia’s account was captured in the book “Le silence des autres” (The Silence of Others), co-authored with journalist Jean-Michel Caradec’h, inspired by the similar case of Josef Fritzl in Austria. Fritzl imprisoned his daughter Elisabeth for 24 years, subjecting her to abuse and rape, leading to the birth of seven children.
Expressing solidarity with Elisabeth, Lydia criticized the lack of media attention to her story compared to the Fritzl case. Today, residing near Paris, she conceals acid scars beneath clothing while raising her nine children, embracing each day with resilience and gratitude for life.