I Choose to Live

"The Dutroux Affair" shook the whole of Europe. Marc Detroux had been convicted of rape, but was released early from prison for good behavior. He went on to kidnap several youg girls, torture them in his basement dungeon, and leave some to die. There were many apparent missteps in the case, and there was a huge public outcry against Belgium's judicial system. In the middle of the immense machinery of investigation and justice, there was Sabine Dardenne herself, Dutroux's last victim. She was held captive for 80 days and survived. Far from sensationalizing the horror, her story, dignified and restrained, is ultimately uplifting.

Sabine Dardenne was Marc Dutroux's last victim and was held prisoner for eighty days. In 2004, eight years after her kidnapping, she testified at his trial. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.