On Wednesday, Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman whose ex-husband is on trial for drugging and raping her during their marriage and encouraging numerous other men to do the same, testified in court.
She expressed her desire for women who have experienced sexual assault to understand that “it is not for us to bear shame – it is for them” in front of the Avignon court.
“I want all women who have been raped to say: Madame Pelicot did it, I can too. I don’t want them to be ashamed any longer,” she said, referring to her request for an open trial and for the videos of the alleged rapes to be shown.
Ms Pelicot, 71, was taking the stand following a request from her legal team that she be given the chance to respond to the evidence and testimony that have been shared so far at the trial.
She claimed to have seen several defendants’ wives, mothers, and sisters testify that the accused were “amazing men” over the past few weeks.
She went on, “That is just like who I had back home,” However, a rapist is not someone you encounter late at night in a dark parking lot. He is also present among friends and relatives.
According to Ms. Pelicot, she is “totally shattered” and will need to rebuild herself. She continued, “I do not know if my whole life will be enough to understand.”
“I wish I could still call him Dominique,” she remarked, referring to her ex-husband as Mr. Pelicot. For fifty years, we shared a home, and I was a contented, happy woman.
“I never had any doubts about you; you were a kind, considerate husband. We laughed and we cried together,” she said, her voice cracking.
In 2021, she filed for divorce from Dominique.
Certain aspects in this narrative might be upsetting to some readers.
Dominique has acknowledged using the internet to find men to rape his wife between 2010 and 2020 while she was under the influence of strong sedatives and sleeping medications that he secretly gave her.
When she was dealing with health problems that were subsequently found to be related to the medications he was giving her, Ms. Pelicot recalled how fortunate she used to feel to have him by her side.
“I am trying to understand how this man, who to me was perfect, could have done this. How can he have betrayed me at this point? How could you let these strangers into my bedroom?” she said.
“I want to say to him: I’ve always tried to lift you higher, towards the light. You chose the darkest depths of human nature. You’re the one who made this choice.”
The way Dominique allegedly drugged her was by cooking her meals and bringing her ice cream after dinner, according to Ms. Pelicot: “I used to remark to him: how blessed am I, you are a sweetheart, you truly care after me.”
She went on to say that she must have fainted rapidly when she was drugged because she never felt dizzy or had a racing heart. She claimed to think that long walks were the reason she would wake up in her own bed the next morning feeling especially exhausted.
“I experienced gynaecological problems, and on some mornings, I woke up feeling as though my waters had broken. “I never knew how to read the signs, but they were there,” she continued.
Ms Pelicot and her solicitors also talked about whether Dominique’s affair with a coworker, their perceived social status difference, or the fact that she had a loving childhood while he did not could have contributed to her inferiority complex.
“I have been told I am brave,” she remarked, referring to the response the trial has generated. This is about having the will and desire to transform society, not about being brave.
“To be brave is to dive into the ocean to save a life. “I simply possess willpower and determination,” she remarked.
“I come here every day for this reason… Because of all the men and women right behind me, I will persevere even if I hear unimaginable things.
Asking for the trial to be open has never made her regret it, she said: “I did it because what happened to me can never happen again.”
Many of the alleged rapes were captured on camera.
Since they were unaware that Ms. Pelicot was unconscious, the defendants claim they cannot be held accountable for the rape since they did not “know” they were raping her.
Ms. Pelicot has appeared in court on most days, but she has only testified twice.
On September 18, she claimed to have been “humiliated” by rumours that she had consented to play a sex game in which she feigned to be asleep when the guys her husband had enlisted online visited their house.
“I was raped by these men. “This courtroom session is so embarrassing and demeaning,” she remarked.
Because she waived her right to privacy and asked for an open trial, Ms. Pelicot has become a feminist icon in France, where the trial has garnered a lot of attention. Opening the trial, according to her legal team, would return the “shame” to the accused.
Marches in support of Ms. Pelicot were place in over a dozen French cities on Saturday. A number of feminist groups are also requesting that the French government include a consent element to the rape statute.
On September 2, the trial got underway. Due to the large number of defendants who must be questioned, the hearings are barely halfway done, despite the extended daily sessions.
Late December is when a verdict is anticipated.
The BBC Action Line website offers a list of groups that are prepared to offer assistance and guidance if this story has affected you.
