AVIGNON, France (AP) — The trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose husband repeatedly drugged her over nearly a decade has highlighted the challenges victims of sexual violence can face in France.
Dominique Pelicot, 71, and his 50 co-defendants face up to 20 years in prison if convicted in a trial that shocked the world and captivated French public opinion.
Pelicot recognized in tears in court that he is guilty of the charges against him, and he said all of his co-defendants understood exactly what they were doing when he invited them to his home in Provence between 2011 and 2020 to have sex with his unconscious and unconscious wife, who divorced him after learning what he had done to her.
People take part in a rally in support of Gisèle Pelicot, 71, who was allegedly drugged by her ex-husband and raped by dozens of men while she was unconscious, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Paris. Signs read: “3 billion euros to fight violence against women.” (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Despite the evidence, including meticulously archived photos and videos taken by Pelicot during the alleged rapes, some lawyers for the defendants have scrutinized Pelicot’s private life and motivations, even questioning whether she was really unconscious Although they must defend their clients as best they can, the lawyers’ tactics have outraged advocates for sexual abuse victims, who say the lawyers demonstrate that victim-blaming is alive and well in France.
“This trial is the trial of our society,” Nathan Paris, 27, who works in a youth center, told the Avignon court this week. A victim of sexual violence, he has traveled from Marseille several times since the trial began.
“The French population has evolved… and I have the impression that justice has not evolved during this period,” he said, promising to return until the end of the trial.
The co-defendants range in age from 20 to 70 and represent a cross-section of the French male population: a firefighter, a journalist, a nurse, a prison guard and a construction worker. Some are retired, others are unemployed and many have families of their own. One of them knew he was HIV-positive when he raped Gisèle Pelicot six times and chose not to wear a condom, according to police. She did not contract HIV, although she has been diagnosed with other sexually transmitted diseases, a medical expert testified.
Gisele Pelicot, center, arrives at the courthouse in Avignon, southern France, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. A woman who was allegedly drugged by her ex-husband so she could be raped by other men while she was unconscious is expected to testify before a panel of French judges. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
Magali Lafourcade, a judge and secretary general of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, who is not involved in the trial, said the fight against sexual violence in France has improved slightly since the start of the #MeToo movement, which followed the complaint filed by the prosecutor. dropped some of the most beautiful in France famous actors And film directorsamong other personalities. Women have always spoken out, but their voices are now being heard more, she said.
“For a long time, we considered the rape and murder of women by men to be something that was private – we thought we shouldn’t interfere in people’s private lives,” Lafourcade said.
“There has been a clear shift, even a revolution, in that perception since #MeToo,” she added.
Civic groups have lobbied hard in recent years to get judges, politicians and the media to understand that sexual violence is not just a private matter, but also a societal, political and financial matter, Lafourcade said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to prioritize gender equality and combating violence against womenBut French public policies still lag behind, and more resources and efforts need to be devoted to prosecuting sex offenders, experts told The Associated Press.
Lawyers and analysts agree that in many ways the Pelicot trial was a complete success, thanks to its abundance of highly incriminating evidence and the admission of guilt by its main defendant.
Gisèle Pelicot also defies the stereotype widespread in French society according to which raped women provoke their attackers by seeking to attract the male gaze or by being reckless. She is a grandmother in her seventies who was drugged and unconscious each time she was attacked, according to the police.
“Most victims don’t have that,” explains Céline Piques, spokesperson for the feminist association Osez le féminisme!, pointing out that 90% of women who say they have been raped do not file a complaint because they feel they have no chance. “In most cases, the victims’ words are questioned and the shame falls on them rather than on the man who committed the rape.”
Ms Piques said she was particularly shocked by questions about Gisèle Pelicot’s sex life, including “whether she was into swinging or threesomes, given that this woman was drugged and unconscious”.
Pelicot has maintained remarkable calm and stoicism throughout the trial, even during the most horrific and graphic descriptions of her abuse. But she grew exasperated Wednesday when defense lawyers questioned her about graphic images taken of her and shown in court for the first time. She had agreed to have them shown because she hoped they would serve as “irrefutable evidence.”
“I understand why rape victims don’t press charges,” Pelicot told the five judges after a lawyer asked her if she was hiding unusual sexual “tendencies.”
“I’m not even going to answer that question, I find it insulting,” she replied, her voice breaking.
She told the court that the first two weeks of the trial had been grueling: “Since I arrived in this courtroom, I have felt humiliated. I am treated like an alcoholic, an accomplice… I have heard it all.”
Pelicot has become a symbol She is one of the leading figures in the fight against sexual violence in France. She is considered a heroine by many victims because she lifted her anonymity, allowed the trial to be public and presented herself openly to the media. She attended the trial every day, where she sat in a room full of men accused of raping her.
But despite the sickening details that emerged during the trial, that didn’t stop some from downplaying the abuse, with the mayor of the small community where the Pelicots lived, Mazan, apologize thursday for suggesting in a BBC interview that things could have been worse because “no children were involved” and “no one died”.
Such disdain is pervasive in the French justice system, Lafourcade said.
“We have a real problem with the way the justice system deals with sexual offences, which is very painful for victims and has a chilling effect,” she said. “It discourages people from reporting.”
Given the low number of reported cases and the rarity of those that result in conviction, only a tiny fraction of attackers actually go to prison, Lafourcade said.
“And to reduce a crime, it’s not the severity of the sentence that counts,” she added. “It’s the fact of being sure of being caught.”
Pelicot’s supporters believe she is making a difference by courageously confronting the men accused of raping her and that broader change is on the horizon.
“Before, we would never have questioned a lawyer and his line of defense,” explains Paris, the educator at the youth center. “But today, society is changing, people monitor what is happening and take into consideration the suffering of others.”
