Hundreds of people in France have joined protests in support of a woman whose ex-husband allegedly drugged her and invited strangers to rape her.
Warning: This story contains details of rape and sexual abuse
A crowd of around 700, mostly women, gathered at the Place de la Republique in Paris, some carrying placards in support of Gisele Pelicot, and all rape victims.
One sign read: “Victims, we believe you. Rapists, we see you.”
Gisele Pelicot. Pic: Reuters
Campaigners, who had called for protests in other French cities, believe much of the violence remains unreported and often goes unpunished in the country.
Activist Anna Toumazoff, one of the organisers of the Paris protest, said: “We need to talk about the rape culture. After seven years of MeToo, we know that there is not a special type of victim… no special type of a rapist.”
Protesters against sexual violence at Place de la Republique in Paris. Pic: AP
In Marseille, where about 200 protesters gathered in front of the Palais de Justice, Lou Salome Patouillard, a 41-year-old artist, said: “I am here to support Gisele and all women as there are many Giseles, too many Giseles.”
Ms Pelicot, 71, was allegedly drugged by her now ex-husband over the course of a decade so that she could be raped by dozens of men while unconscious.
In 2020, she was told by police of the accusations against her husband – that her then-spouse had been sedating her and invited at least 72 strangers into their house in Provence in southeastern France to have sex with her.
Pic: AP
Instead of remaining anonymous, Ms Pelicot chose a public trial, allowing the media to publish her full name, and the court to show explicit videos of the suspected rapes recorded by her husband.
She opted for openness, she said, in solidarity with other women who are victims of sexual crimes but go unrecognised. She has since become a symbol of France’s fight against sexual violence.
Giving evidence for the first time earlier this month, Ms Pelicot said the men “regarded me like a rag doll, like a garbage bag”.
When police informed her about the alleged rapes by dozens of men, she said: “For me, everything collapses. These are scenes of barbarity, of rape.”
Her former husband, Dominique Pelicot, 71, and 50 other men – aged 22 to 70 and including a fireman, journalist and prison guard – are standing trial on charges of aggravated rape and face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
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The couple were married for 50 years and had three children. They lived in a small town in Provence after they retired – until her life was torn apart in late 2020.