French mass rape trial lights debate over assault

With the verdict awaited on December 20, many hope that the rape trial's dramatic launch to prominence will help victims of sexual violence to finally be listened to and believed

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This court sketch created on October 10, 2024, shows Gisele Pelicot being applauded by the audience outside the courthouse of Avignon, during the trial of her former partner accused of drugging her for nearly 10 years and inviting strangers to rape her at their home in Mazan, a small town in the south of France. AFP

By AFP

Published: Mon 28 Oct 2024, 5:01 PM

Last updated: Mon 28 Oct 2024, 8:05 PM

For daring to defy the dozens of men accused of raping her while she was drugged by her husband, Gisele Pelicot has become a feminist heroine in France and abroad.

Now at the halfway mark, Dominique Pelicot's trial has sparked outrage and protests, and its first eight weeks have ignited debates over consent, male violence and the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse.

With her bob haircut and round sunglasses gracing placards at rallies, the 71-year-old has won plaudits for insisting that the proceedings be open to the public to spotlight the issue.

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Hearings in the southern city of Avignon — home to the Catholic Church's popes for most of the 14th century — have adjourned for a week until November 4.

But in her often harrowing testimonies, Gisele Pelicot has committed to her goal of making it so that "all women who have been victims of rape can say to themselves 'if Mrs Pelicot did it, so can we'."

"I don't want them to feel ashamed any more. Shame is not ours to feel, it's theirs ... Above all, I am expressing my will and determination to change this society," she told the court on Wednesday.

The contrast between the seemingly everyday existence of the Pelicot couple — since separated — and the extraordinary facts of the case is striking.

Married for some 50 years, Gisele Pelicot described her ex-husband Dominique as a virtually perfect companion.

But her husband has confessed to a shocking litany of assaults during their final decade together.

He would knock his wife out with anti-anxiety drugs slipped into a glass of wine before raping her and watching her be raped by at least 50 strangers recruited over the internet.

Only 14 other men alongside Dominique Pelicot have confessed to rape charges -- despite him having meticulously captured and catalogued the assaults on tape.

Ranging from 26 to 74 years of age, the attackers were "ordinary people" well integrated into society.

Many continue to insist that they were invited, even lured, by Dominique Pelicot, to act out the fantasies of a libertine and sexually liberated couple — an explanation the victim has given short shrift.

"They are rapists, they rape, full stop. And when they apologise, at the end of the day, they're apologising for themselves," said Gisele Pelicot.

The trial stands as a reminder that in nearly half of cases, sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone known to the victim, according to a 2022 report by the French interior ministry.

Since it opened on September 2, the trial has shaken France and made international headlines.

On arrival, Gisele Pelicot has been greeted with guards of honour and even bouquets of flowers, while 138 media are accredited for the proceedings, including 57 from outside France.

The case has inspired protests and introspective articles on masculinity in the papers while celebrities in France and worldwide have spoken out.

Collages and banners line the walls of Avignon and elsewhere in support of Gisele Pelicot and denouncing rape culture.

And on Sunday, France's Justice Minister Didier Migaud said he would be open to inscribing the notion of consent into the definition of rape in French law.

He however cautioned "prudence on the terms" employed in any rewrite of the legislation.

With the verdict awaited on December 20, many hope that the rape trial's dramatic launch to prominence will help victims of sexual violence to finally be listened to and believed.

AFP

Published: Mon 28 Oct 2024, 5:01 PM

Last updated: Mon 28 Oct 2024, 8:05 PM

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