The noise of the world hurts me a little too much some days.

15 years of fighting against war rape.

Sexual violence in times of conflict has existed since the dawn of time. It wreaks havoc all over the world. As a lawyer and international criminal investigator, Céline Bardet has only one obsession: listening to victims, documenting crimes, and bringing perpetrators to justice. It is a long-term endeavor that has taken her to nearly 100 countries. Each time, with the same rigor and humanity, she tries to understand, to piece together fragmented, painful stories, and to collect evidence. She also fights against the misconceptions and misinformation surrounding this widespread phenomenon. Here, she recounts the mission she has set herself, the obstacles she has encountered, and the poignant stories she has collected. A strong and unique voice.

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Booksellers' Square Cultura Fnac

Author

Célin Bardete

Publication

October 3, 2025

Format

5.1×8.1 inches

224 pages

Price

20 €

ISBN

978-2-494894-14-3

Diffuser

Harmonia Mundi Book

Excerpt

For twenty-five years, life has taken me to the most closed-off places in the world, places where people don't go on vacation. And then come the respites. The Hague, Geneva, New York, Paris. And there, always a sense of vertigo. The same feeling I get before speaking at all these conferences and meetings. How can I find the right words to describe and give a voice to those who are living through the hell of violent conflict? How can I tell those in the other world, the world of peace, democracy, and polite debate, about the rape, torture, brutality, despair, waiting, and survival? "

Focus on the author

A lawyer and international criminal investigator,Céline Bardetspecializes in war crimes. She began her career at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and spent 12 years in the Balkans prosecuting war criminals. She is regularly commissioned by organizations such as the EU, INTERPOL, and the UN. Witnessing the rise in the use of rape in conflicts, she founded the NGO We Are NOT Weapons of War (WWoW) in 2014.

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