Why Gisèle Pelicot, at the center of France's shocking rape case, is being called a hero
WARNING: This article may concern those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who has.
It is not uncommon for Gisèle Pelicot to be greeted with applause when she walks through the court in the southern French city of Avignon.
Amid the gruesome rape trial against her husband and 50 other suspects, Pelicot, 72, is being called a feminist, mobilizing thousands of marches, rallies and lobbying for legal reform of France's rape law to include consent for the first time.
Her husband, Dominique Pelicot, admitted that he invited a number of strangers to their house for almost 10 years to rape her after drugging her unconscious.
Gisèle Pelicot was praised for her courage, not only for surviving her ordeal but for defying her right to remain anonymous, and for her composure in the witness box, where she stood firm that it was men – not her – who should be ashamed.
And now that Pelicot has taken this step for the second time in the case, which began on September 2, his words have spread across social media and social media, with people on the Internet calling for him to be made Time magazine's Person of the Year. or awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Sexual harassment experts and advocates say she is changing the discourse around rape, and Pelicot herself said she “decided to change things in this community.”
“I decided not to be ashamed. I didn't do anything wrong…. They should be ashamed,” said Pelicot on Wednesday.
This examines the history of victim-blaming and the shame often felt by survivors of sexual abuse, said Bailey Reid, CEO of Ottawa-based sexual violence prevention program Spark Strategy.
“A lot of times, survivors feel that they should be ashamed of what happened to them and that they should feel guilty in some way,” Reid told CBC News.
Gisèle Pelicot, who was allegedly raped by a number of men in a program organized by her husband, was received with flowers and applause after testifying in a public trial.
“By coming forward and calling out the perpetrators, Gisèle Pelicot takes the shame from the victim — where racism and rape culture place the blame — on the abusers,” said Ummni Khan, an associate professor in the department of law and legal studies at Carleton. University of Ottawa.
“Instead, she asserts her power as a survivor, as a hero, in fact, for the women of France and the whole world.”
Men apologize 'trying to justify themselves'
A few weeks ago, the court found that Pelicot and her husband of 50 years lived in a house in Mazan, a small town in Provence. In 2020, a security agent caught Dominique Pelicot taking pictures up women's skirts in a supermarket, leading investigators to search his phone and computer.
They found thousands of photos and videos of men apparently raping Pelicot in their home while she was apparently unconscious. Police investigators found communications sent by Dominique Pelicot on a messaging website often used by criminals, where he invited men to sexually assault his wife.
Dominique Pelicot admitted his guilt and says that the 50 men who were charged alongside him understood exactly what they were doing. The defendants range in age from 26 to 74.
“He challenges the myths surrounding sexual assault, including the belief that a person is safe at home and the idea that rapists are bullies and not neighbors and members of the community,” said Khan, who researches gender, sexuality and the law. “His willingness to sit there and listen to the perpetrators trying to make excuses shows incredible courage.”
Despite the video evidence against them, at least 35 defendants have denied rape charges, saying Dominique Pelicot tricked them into believing they were part of a sex game or that his wife was faking sleep. A few admitted that they raped Pelicot, while others apologized – which he did not accept.
“By apologizing, they're trying to justify themselves,” Pelicot said Wednesday.
He also gave his testimony about how “unbelievably violent” it was when many of the suspects in the case said they thought he agreed to the rape or was deceiving himself.
“For me, they are rapists, they live as rapists. Rape is rape…. Yes, today I feel like nothing. Today, above all, I am a victim…. We must improve the culture of rape in society. .”
Lawyer Stéphane Babonneau says Gisèle Pelicot cannot forgive the 'coward' of 50 men accused of raping her while she was drugged unconscious by her husband. Any of them could have alerted the authorities anonymously, 'so for him this is a case of cowardice,' he said.
The confirmation of the husband makes the case different
Tanya Couch, co-founder of the advocacy group Survivor Safety Matters and a survivor of sexual assault, told CBC News that she agrees that Pelicot is truly a hero and that allowing his story to become public is an act of incredible risk.
“Without his act of courage and selflessness, we would not have this understanding of how these 'regular' men behave behind closed doors,” said Couch, who lives in the Greater Toronto Area.
However, he stressed, this kind of public support and rally for Pelicot is not the experience of many survivors. Pelicot's case has two features that set it apart from other sexual assault cases, she said: the police testimony and her husband's testimony in her case.
“The bottom line is that women don't believe,” Couch said.
Last year, French authorities registered 114,000 victims of sexual violence, including more than 25,000 reported rapes. But experts there say that most rapes go unreported due to a lack of concrete evidence: About 80 percent of women do not file charges, and 80 percent see their case dismissed before it can be investigated.
In Canada, too, most sexual assaults are not reported to the police, according to the Department of Justice. Between 2017 and 2022, the rate of sexual assault reported by the police increased by 38 per cent, Statistics Canada notes. In 2022, only 31 percent of sexual assault cases were dealt with either by charges or referrals by the police.
That year, 10,028 cases of sexual assault were described by police in Canada as having “insufficient evidence to proceed with or recommend a charge,” representing 30 percent of all sexual assaults reported by police, according to Statistics Canada's 2024 report.
“The public has the courage to support Gisèle because her husband proved what he is doing. If he had said that he agreed, he was joking, as many men do when they are accused of sexual harassment, there would be no discussion,” said Couch. “
Reid, with The Spark Strategy, said she believes that any survivor of sexual violence has incredible courage — whether or not she chooses to tell anyone at all — and that while Pelicot's messages challenging shame and stigma are powerful, it's important to support and believe in all survivors. .
“If we all start with this simple step, we can become heroes fighting for women,” she said.
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services through Completes the Violence Association of Canada database. .
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available crisis lines and local support services. .
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
Source link
