Samira Bellil
Encyclopedia
Samira Bellil was a French feminist
activist and a campaigner for the rights of girls and women.
Bellil became famous in France with the publication of her autobiographical
book Dans l'enfer des tournantes
('In the hell of the "tournantes" (gang-rapes)) in 2002. The book discusses the violence she and other young women endured in the predominantly Muslim immigrant outskirts of Paris
, where she was repeatedly gang-raped as a teenager by gangs led by people she knew, and then abandoned by her family and friends. Her book is a portrayal of the predicament of young girls in the poor, outlying suburb
s (banlieue
) of French cities.
The book is available in American-English (translated by Lucy R. McNair) as "To Hell and back" with the subtitle "The Life of Samira Bellil".
n parents in Algiers
, but her family migrated to France
and settled in the Paris
ian suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis
. Her father was jailed almost immediately and she was fostered by a family in Belgium
for five years, before being called back to her parents .
As a teenager Bellil rebelled against the traditional constraints of her community
and wanted to live freely as a young French woman.
Samira was first gang-raped when she was 14, by a gang led by someone she knew. They beat her viciously and raped her all night. A month later, one of the most violent attackers in the gang followed her and dragged her off a train by her hair, while other passengers looked the other way. She was then brutally raped by him again.
She did not report her rapes until two friends told her that the same gang had sexually assaulted them too. Samira decided to appeal to the French legal system to prosecute her attackers. In the end, the gang members were sentenced to eight years in prison.
Bellil's parents, who believed they were shamed by her presence, expelled her from her house. "People outside the community don't know," Bellil has written. "And everyone in the community knows, but they won't say anything."
Eventually, she found a psychologist who helped her. She had years of therapy, and describes how she decided to write her book to show other young women gang-rape victims that there was a way out. "It's long and it's difficult, but it's possible," she wrote in the dedication - to "my sisters in trouble". She used her real name and put her photo on the cover.
She died on 7 September 2004 of stomach cancer
in Paris
. She was 31.
.
Bellil became close to the movement "Ni putes ni soumises
" ("Neither whores nor submissives") and wrote her testimony in her book. She denounced the gang-rapes (tournantes) and described how she overcame both her traumatic experiences and the need for revenge. She dedicated the book to her "girlfriends, so that they realize that one can overcome the traumatic" and to Boris Cyrulnik
, her therapist.
She later became a youth worker.
The typical scenario that takes place is that the targeted young woman is drawn or lured into a secluded area where she is brutalized and repeatedly raped by a group of men who take turns raping her. The victim is usually insulted for behaving in a Westernized manner. Typically the girls are often released afterwards, but rapes are often unreported for fear of reprisals against their families. In nearly every case on record the young victim who does report the crimes committed on them says that days later they would again be caught by the gang and gang-raped again.
("Neither whores nor submissives") which has publicly addressed the issue of violence against young women in France. The group drew the attention of the French and European press as they organized marches and press conferences to bring attention to the tragic events happening to young women in the Islamic neighborhoods of France.
In part due to Bellil's book and the activism of Ni Putes Ni Soumises, the French government and the mayor's office in Paris began investigating the problem of violence against young women in French Muslim communities.
She was chosen as one of the new Marianne
s, the new faces of France. Her portrait has hung outside the French National Assembly
.
In 2005 a French school in l’Île-Saint-Denis was named in her honor: Ecole Samira Bellil.
Feminism in France
Feminism in France has its origins in the French Revolution. A few famous figures emerged during the 1871 Paris Commune, including Louise Michel, Russian-born Elisabeth Dmitrieff, Nathalie Lemel, and Renée Vivien .-French Revolution:...
activist and a campaigner for the rights of girls and women.
Bellil became famous in France with the publication of her autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
book Dans l'enfer des tournantes
Dans l'enfer des tournantes
Dans l'enfer des tournantes is a book by French activist Samira Bellil.The book focuses on life in neighborhoods of France where Samira and countless other young girls have been victims of organized gang-rapes called tournantes. It was first published on October 9, 2002....
('In the hell of the "tournantes" (gang-rapes)) in 2002. The book discusses the violence she and other young women endured in the predominantly Muslim immigrant outskirts of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where she was repeatedly gang-raped as a teenager by gangs led by people she knew, and then abandoned by her family and friends. Her book is a portrayal of the predicament of young girls in the poor, outlying suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s (banlieue
Banlieue
In francophone areas, banlieues are the "outskirts" of a city: the zone around a city that is under the city's rule.Banlieues are translated as "suburbs", as these are also residential areas on the outer edge of a city, but the connotations of the term "banlieue" in France can be different from...
) of French cities.
The book is available in American-English (translated by Lucy R. McNair) as "To Hell and back" with the subtitle "The Life of Samira Bellil".
Life
Bellil was born to AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n parents in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, but her family migrated to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and settled in the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis
Seine-Saint-Denis
- Culture :A number of hip hop artists come from the Seine-Saint-Denis, including one of the first major hip-hop groups in France, NTM, as well as Lord Kossity, or more recent acts such as Tandem or Sefyu.- Miscellaneous topics :...
. Her father was jailed almost immediately and she was fostered by a family in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
for five years, before being called back to her parents .
As a teenager Bellil rebelled against the traditional constraints of her community
Gender roles in Islam
In Islam, the sexes are considered equal before God in the complementarian sense. Allah says in verse 13 of chapter 49 in the Holy Qu'ran: "O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of...
and wanted to live freely as a young French woman.
Samira was first gang-raped when she was 14, by a gang led by someone she knew. They beat her viciously and raped her all night. A month later, one of the most violent attackers in the gang followed her and dragged her off a train by her hair, while other passengers looked the other way. She was then brutally raped by him again.
She did not report her rapes until two friends told her that the same gang had sexually assaulted them too. Samira decided to appeal to the French legal system to prosecute her attackers. In the end, the gang members were sentenced to eight years in prison.
Bellil's parents, who believed they were shamed by her presence, expelled her from her house. "People outside the community don't know," Bellil has written. "And everyone in the community knows, but they won't say anything."
Eventually, she found a psychologist who helped her. She had years of therapy, and describes how she decided to write her book to show other young women gang-rape victims that there was a way out. "It's long and it's difficult, but it's possible," she wrote in the dedication - to "my sisters in trouble". She used her real name and put her photo on the cover.
She died on 7 September 2004 of stomach cancer
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. She was 31.
Activism
Soon after publishing her book, her parents threw her out in shame, and her neighbourhood rejected her http://books.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,11617,1303227,00.html. Her book put the light on the difficulties girls face in the heavily immigrant and mainly Muslim cités. She wrote how, in the neighborhoods she came from, she underwent a course of psychotherapyPsychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
.
Bellil became close to the movement "Ni putes ni soumises
Ni Putes Ni Soumises
Ni Putes Ni Soumises is a French feminist movement, founded in 2002, which has secured the recognition of the French press and the National Assembly of France. It is generally dependent on public funding...
" ("Neither whores nor submissives") and wrote her testimony in her book. She denounced the gang-rapes (tournantes) and described how she overcame both her traumatic experiences and the need for revenge. She dedicated the book to her "girlfriends, so that they realize that one can overcome the traumatic" and to Boris Cyrulnik
Boris Cyrulnik
Boris Cyrulnik is a French doctor, ethologist, neurologist, and psychiatrist.Being of Jewish origin, he was entrusted to protection from a foster family. In 194x he was taken with adults in a nazi-led capture in Bordeaux...
, her therapist.
She later became a youth worker.
The phenomenon of the tournantes
The expression tournante is a French word meaning "turning" (party). It is used as a slang term to characterize a gang rape. See fr:Viol en réunion#Le phénomène dit des « tournantes ».The typical scenario that takes place is that the targeted young woman is drawn or lured into a secluded area where she is brutalized and repeatedly raped by a group of men who take turns raping her. The victim is usually insulted for behaving in a Westernized manner. Typically the girls are often released afterwards, but rapes are often unreported for fear of reprisals against their families. In nearly every case on record the young victim who does report the crimes committed on them says that days later they would again be caught by the gang and gang-raped again.
Ni Putes Ni Soumises
Bellil helped found a young women's activist group called Ni Putes Ni SoumisesNi Putes Ni Soumises
Ni Putes Ni Soumises is a French feminist movement, founded in 2002, which has secured the recognition of the French press and the National Assembly of France. It is generally dependent on public funding...
("Neither whores nor submissives") which has publicly addressed the issue of violence against young women in France. The group drew the attention of the French and European press as they organized marches and press conferences to bring attention to the tragic events happening to young women in the Islamic neighborhoods of France.
In part due to Bellil's book and the activism of Ni Putes Ni Soumises, the French government and the mayor's office in Paris began investigating the problem of violence against young women in French Muslim communities.
Official recognitions
Marianne
Marianne is a national emblem of France and an allegory of Liberty and Reason. She represents the state and values of France, differently from another French cultural symbol, the "Coq Gaulois" which represents France as a nation and its history, land, culture, and variety of sport disciplines in...
s, the new faces of France. Her portrait has hung outside the French National Assembly
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
.
In 2005 a French school in l’Île-Saint-Denis was named in her honor: Ecole Samira Bellil.
Additional sources
- CBS News: Article on Samira Bellil
- Time Magazine: Sisters In Hell
- The Guardian: Gang rape on rise among French youth
- Reuters: Girls terrorized in France’s macho ghettos
- The Guardian: Article on Samira Bellil
- BBC News: France in shock over gang rape
- The Australian: Tournantes in Australia
- Sydney Morning Herald: Muslim gang rapes in Sydney Australia
- CNN Transcript: Muslim Women Rebel In France
- ABC News: Paris gang rape trial begins
- Book review Neither whores nor submissives and In gang-rape hell
- Vanity Fair: Daughters of France, Daughters of Allah
- Newsweek: Sexism in the cités
- IBC: Remembering Samira Bellil