Chants of several women hailing Gisele Pelicot as the emerging feminist icon filled the air as the 72-year-old walked into a courtroom for her mass rape trial in Avignon, France. She has been frequently seen in conventionally chic dresses with an auburn bob cut and dark glasses, adding to her decision to waiver off anonymity and make the mass rape trial public.
Pelicot walked into the courtroom for a trial which had shaken the country three weeks ago, when it was revealed that her husband, Dominique Pelicot, invited dozens of men over to rape her, after drugging her unconscious, for decades.
As reported by The Guardian, Dominique Pelicot, 71, was caught by a security guard in November 2020 as he was filming up the skirts of women at a supermarket near their home. Soon after, his computer was investigated by the police disclosing details which would shatter Gisele's life. The report stated that while investigating the case, police saw a file, labelled "abuses" on the USB drive that was connected to Dominique Pelicot's computer. Officials found nearly 20,000 images and films of his wife getting raped nearly 100 times.
Gisele Pelicot referred to the moment when the investigators first showed her the visuals as "an explosion, a tsunami". "My world is falling apart. For me, everything is falling apart. Everything I have built up over 50 years... Frankly, these are scenes of horror for me," she said during the trial.
Police investigation revealed that her husband contacted the accused perpetrators through an online chatroom after sedating her with a fine mix of crushed sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication. This led to Gisele being convinced that she might be a victim of Alzheimer's disease which destroys one's memory gradually.
The Telegraph reported, that upon being told by the judge that he would try his best to avoid asking "disturbing" questions, she said, "Given what I have been through, nothing disturbs me."
Out of the 50 men accused of raping her after being recruited by her husband, some had admitted to the crime while some had denied it was a 'rape'. "To those who deny this was rape, I say to them for once in your life, take responsibility for your acts," she said.
Photo Credit: AFP
As the trial commenced, Gisele chose to waive her right to anonymity, stating her intention to raise awareness about drug-facilitated sexual violence. "Shame changes sides," she declared, emphasizing that it should be the perpetrators who bear the burden of shame, not the victims. In the past three weeks since the trial began, her face has been on the front pages of newspapers, graffitied walls, and television screens, making her an epitome of the French Feminist movement, which is often known for being instrumental in setting forth the core principles of feminist theory worldwide. France has witnessed the origin of seminal feminist works such as Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex" to Helene Cixous' "The Laugh of the Medusa."
Gisele, during her testimony, displayed remarkable composure as she recounted the details of her abuse. She said, that she only had the courage to watch those visuals in May 2024, when she witnessed herself being treated "like a rag doll." Gisele's testimony further revealed that she had contracted multiple sexually transmitted diseases and faced exposure to HIV during the assaults. Responding to claims from some defendants that she had consented to these encounters, she stated unequivocally: "It's an insult to my intelligence. These individuals were totally aware of what state I was in."
The trial has ignited widespread public discourse on masculinity and consent in France. Thousands have rallied in support of Gisele, demanding accountability for sexual violence and challenging societal norms that allow such acts to persist. A letter in support of Gisele Pelicot signed by more than 200 high-profile men was published in the French daily Liberation.
"Let's stop viewing women's bodies as objects at our disposal," read a text signed by more than 170 men and published in the left-leaning Liberation newspaper on Saturday. "Let's stop thinking there exists a certain male nature that justifies our behaviour, let's stop perpetuating the boy's club and protecting our male peers" it read.
Ivan Jablonka, a social historian, said the trial was "historic" due to the number of defendants, as reported by the AFP. "It's a reminder, if one were necessary, that rapes are committed by our neighbours, our colleagues, our relatives in our homes," he said.
However, not all responses have been supportive.
Remarks made by local officials downplaying Gisele's ordeal have drawn ire on social media. The mayor of Mazan faced backlash after stating "After all, no one died" in this case, prompting an apology later, for his insensitivity.
As Gisele Pelicot continues to testify against her abusers, she remains steadfast in her mission: "I want it to be exemplary," she said, adding that her fight is not just for herself but for all women who suffer in silence from sexual abuse. Paying tribute to the policeman who initially arrested her husband and searched his phone and computer. "He no doubt saved my life," she said.
With each passing day in court, she demolishes the stigma surrounding victims of sexual violence and challenges societal norms that allow such atrocities to persist. While her husband now pleads guilty in the trial, the exact reason behind his atrocious act has not been explicitly stated yet. However, the presence of the over 20,000 visuals which brought out the shocking revelation points to an inclination towards voyeurism as well. The trial is expected to continue till December 2024.
