A 71-year-old French woman who was allegedly drugged and raped by her husband (now divorced), who also invited over 50 other men to abuse her for years on end, has emerged as an icon for justice after waiving her right to anonymity, thus making the trial public. The case was discovered after Gisele Pelicot's now-former husband, Dominique Pelicot, 71, was caught filming up women's skirts, which led the police to his home, where they found videos and images of Gisele being assaulted by different men. Just 50 of the men have been identified.
According to Associated Press (AP), Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men are standing trial on charges of aggravated rape and face up to 20 years in prison. The case, which began on September 2, is expected to end in December. Among the men on trial, 15 have admitted rape, the BBC reported. Some others claim they were led to believe they were participating in an erotic game where Gisele was only pretending to be asleep, the BBC report added.
What has shocked the French public is not just the number of men involved, but the fact that they seem to be "ordinary men" from all walks of life, including firefighters and journalists. Deepening the despair is the revelation that Dominique allegedly invited the men through a website, which suggests other people knew about it and never raised the alarm. The portal in question, described by authorities as a "den of predators", was shut down last June.
According to AP, Gisele said she chose to make the trial public in solidarity with other women who go unrecognised as victims of sexual crimes. She has now returned to using her maiden name, but has requested the media to use her married name during the trial.
Dominique and Gisele had been married for 50 years, but their divorce has now been finalised. They have three children. After they retired, the couple moved to a small town in Provence. Over the years, the repeated drugging and assault reportedly caused neurological and gynaecological issues for Gisele, but consultations with doctors didn't reveal the cause.
“For me, everything collapses,” she said in court about the images and videos, as quoted by AP. “These are scenes of barbarity, of rape."
'Victims, We Believe You'
Investigators say the abuse may have begun in 2011.
Dominique Pelicot told investigators that men invited to the couple’s home had to follow certain rules — they were not to talk loudly, had to remove their clothes in the kitchen, and could not wear perfume or smell of tobacco. The men had to wait around an hour in a nearby parking lot until Gisele would be unconscious.
The 50 suspects apart from Dominique are aged 22 to 70.
On Saturday, as Gisele Pelicot returned to the court, she said through one of her lawyers that her alleged abusers should be ashamed — and not her.
On Saturday, hundreds of women gathered across France to show solidarity with Gisele. Many carried banners that hailed Gisele Pelicot for speaking up about the abuse and assured other victims of sexual violence that they weren’t alone.
“Victims, we believe you. Rapists, we see you,” one banner said, as per AP.
A protester, Nadege Peneau, said she was full of admiration for Gisele Pelicot, according to AFP. "What she's doing is very brave," she said. "She is speaking up for so many children and women, and even men who have been abused,” she added.