Gisèle Pelicot, a 72-year-old woman from France, appeared in the witness stand this week in her divorce case against former husband Dominique Pelicot, who is on charges of drugging and raping the woman while assisting other men to do the same. According to Samasca, testimony by Ms. Pelicot in Avignon “empowers” other sexual assault victims to throw away shame. “It’s not for us to be ashamed-it’s theirs,” she said, emphasizing her appeal to victims to stand up and speak out.
As the hour of testimony came, Ms Pelicot spoke about how it seemed that the happy marriage which she had lived, before, contrasted starkly with the harrowing reality she then faced. She couldnt understand why the husband whom she alleged cared so much and attended to her every need was capable of betraying that trust so seriously. “I sometimes wish I could still call him Dominique,” she said, recalling their 50 years together and the shared moments that once defined their relationship. Ms. Pelicot has filed for divorce from Dominique in 2021.
Dominique Pelicot admitted to drugging his wife with heavy sedatives and sleeping pills between 2010 and 2020, leading to a series of assaults he orchestrated through men he recruited online. Most of the allegedly rapes are said to have been recorded on tape. Many of the defendants claim innocence and argue that they had believed Ms. Pelicot was awake and okay with what was happening to her, but she is said to have expressed her outrage at the claims. “What I am hearing in this courtroom is so degrading, so humiliating,” she stated.
The media has been heavily reporting on the case since September 2, and there was massive public support for Ms. Pelicot. All the cities in France will hold protests in her name, and feminist organizations demand that the rape law be amended to make consent clear and the case be put on the open trial stage, which Ms. Pelicot sought. That is the utmost mileage point in altering the boundary lines of society regarding sexual abuse.
The trial continues and Ms. Pelicot states she did it because “what happened to me can never happen again.” The hearing is expected to run into December and then expect a verdict. If you or someone close to you has been affected by this situation, there are organizations that one can reach out to for help and also resources to get through with all this.