Yo tenía doce años, cogí mi bici y me fui al colegio

the long version

In 1996, Sabine Dardenne, then 12 years old, was kidnapped by Marc Dutroux, a pedophile and multiple child rapist, and held captive for 80 days. 'Yo tenía doce años' is her personal testimony of her experience, which she only survived due to exceptional strength of character. "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 young 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.