“We’re all Gisèle.” In the streets of France there have been many supporters of Gisèle Pelicot, 72 years old, who was burned and raped by her husband, Dominique Pelicot, and at least 50 others, in their home for more than a decade. In an act of extraordinary courage, Ms. Pelicot waived anonymity and asked that the trial, which began in early September, be made public.
She wants to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit abuse, and as one of her lawyers, hopes that “shame will change sides”. Spilling out of the horror room is the fact that Dominique Pelicot, 71, made the film Ms. evidence, thousands of photographs, stored on Dominique Pelicot’s computer under the label ‘abuse’.
In her testimony, as reported in Le Monde, The Guardian and other newspapers, Ms. Pelicot said she was “sacrificed on the altar of representatives” and treated “like a rag doll, like a garbage bag”. The attack came to light in 2020 after Dominique was caught filming up women’s skirts, and police searched his computer. Mrs Pelicot, who has since divorced but still uses her married name, said the discovery felt like everything she had built up over five decades had come crashing down. In court, the husband pleaded guilty. “I put him to sleep, I fed him, and I filmed him,” Dominique’s lawyer said after his arrest. He also filmed his daughter without her consent.
Trust is betrayed on many levels, but none is more shocking than the admission that between 2011 and 2020, at his home in Mazan in Provence, he destroyed sleeping pills and anti-depressants, and mixed them in the evening or wine. Then, he invited people, contact through online chatroom, which started to die, to rape and sexually abuse him. There are dos and don’ts when a man walks into a house – he can’t smell deodorant or cigarette smoke.
The parents of three children and several grandchildren, the Pelicots are considered “the ideal couple”. Pointing out that she had no idea she was drugged, Ms. Pelicot complained of neurological problems; Doctors ruled out it was Alzheimer’s. He also suffers from gynecological problems, suffering from sexually transmitted diseases.
Dare to stand up
But Ms. Pelicot who had the courage to stand up to reveal his personal nightmare to the public and his sad tears – “I don’t know if I will ever rebuild” – has struck a link between hundreds of women around the world. She has been considered a “feminist icon” and a “hero”; there was a quiet dignity about Ms. Pelicot, wearing dark glasses, as she arrived and left the courtroom.
The trial is expected to last until December; if convicted of aggravated rape, Dominique and 50 others face 20 years in prison under French law. Anne-Cécile Mailfert, president of the Fondation des Femmes, has been quoted in the media as seeking a “comprehensive law against sexual and sexual violence.”
French women have been walking the streets, holding banners, saying, “Our rapists see you, our victims believe you.” It has raised some questions about the body and autonomy of women, lack of concern in society about rampant sexual violence, misogyny, patriarchal mindset, culture of rape and violence (India also has pressing problems in all these counts).
The 50 people on trial, aged between 26 and 73, along with their wives included local councillors, nurses, firefighters and civil servants, The Guardian reported, noting that many lived around Mazan, a nearby town. 6,000 souls. . At least 30 others could not be identified.
Women’s activists point out that with seemingly “ordinary” men committing indecent acts, this will destroy the myth of monster rapists. They also seek changes in the way the media covers rape. “Shame must change sides,” as the protest slogan says; and for that to happen, the alleged perpetrator should be called, not the victim.
Misogyny has long roots, historian Mary Beard has traced in her book, Women & Power: A Manifesto, but each generation of women usually gives a better way to the next. Mrs. Pelicot had done her bit; it is the turn of France to fix the abysmal record in ending sexual abuse and the prevalent culture of rape as women activists have underlined.
Published – September 29, 2024 01:38 IST
