France's shocking mass rape trial is over. But will Gisèle Pelicot's case change rape culture?
Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his now ex-wife for a decade
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
Throngs of cheering supporters greeted Gisèle Pelicot as she left the courthouse in Avignon, France, on Thursday. It's usually the case.
Over the last few months, Pelicot has become known as an icon for demanding that her mass rape trial be heard in open court and her name be published because "shame must change sides." And on Thursday, her supporters had something to celebrate as Pelicot's now ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was found guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for almost a decade.
All the Frenchman's 50 co-defendants, most accused of raping her while she was unconscious, were also found guilty. The court found 46 guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.
The trial marked a "watershed moment" not only in France, but around the world, Ummni Khan, an associate professor in the department of law and legal studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, told CBC News. And the guilty verdict serves as a cathartic point where French society formally denounced Dominique's actions, she said.
Outside the courthouse, Gisèle's crowds of supporters shouted out cries of "bravo" and "thank you," and sang the lines "stand up, stand up" from the women's liberation song Feminist Fight Back, an adaption of Hymne des Femmes written in the 1970s.
They waved banners demanding a stop to violence against women. And yet there were still signs that, in terms of rape culture, little has changed.
Despite video evidence against them, most of the other men denied the charges of rape and sexual assault, claiming that Dominique Pelicot tricked them into believing they were taking part in a sex game or that his wife was feigning sleep.
In a side room where defendants' family members watched the proceedings on television screens, some burst into tears and gasped as sentences were revealed. And in Mazan, the town of about 6,000 people where Dominque Pelicot admits he recruited dozens of strangers to rape his wife, many of the villagers are angry that their home has become synonymous with rape.
"The rapist of Mazan? No, no, no. It's the story of Madame Pelicot and the family Pelicot. I would really like to invite you to visit our village. The people are charming," one woman said to CBC News earlier this week.
Rokhaya Diallo, a French journalist and activist, told CBC News Network Thursday that in one sense, justice has been served: Dominique Pelicot was given 20 years, the maximum possible under French law. But his co-accused received much shorter sentences, ranging from three to 15 years' imprisonment, with some of the time suspended for some of them.
This singles Dominique out as the mastermind, Diallo said, even though the other men were still part of the rape.
"It really feeds the idea that there is one monster, and the rest are just average men who do not deserve to face strong consequences," Diallo said.
"We need to stop thinking of rapists as strangers, as monsters … there is no type."
An exceptional case
While what happened to Gisèle Pelicot was horrifying, her case was exceptional in many ways, and not the experience of most survivors of sexual assault, said Bailey Reid, CEO of the Ottawa-based sexual violence prevention program The Spark Strategy.
Police came to Gisèle, not the other way around. There was video evidence of the assaults. She was unknowingly drugged by her husband. And her husband admitted he was guilty from the get-go.
"Most cases of sexual violence simply do not align with the tenets of the justice system," Reid said.
"There are still pervasive rape myths that exist both in society as well as those who are part of the justice system. There is still a lot to dismantle and unlearn before I think society will change how it perceives sexual violence."
Dominique Pelicot first came to the attention of police in September 2020, when a supermarket security guard caught him surreptitiously filming up women's skirts. Police subsequently found his library of images documenting years of abuse inflicted on his wife.
The abundance of evidence led police to the other defendants. In the videos, investigators counted 72 different abusers, but weren't able to identify them all.
"This was a horrific case, and I hope Gisèle feels that justice was served. However, I think we can't necessarily say that this case exemplifies the experience most survivors have with the court," Reid said.
"Many survivors who are drugged are still questioned by society for their actions. Many survivors who are sexually assaulted by their partners are still questioned about their actions."
She added, however, that still doesn't mean it was easy for Gisèle to choose a public trial.
Khan agreed, saying that Gisèle is a personal hero of hers for allowing the case to be heard despite its intimate details.
"[It's] not only profoundly courageous but also an extraordinary act of solidarity with all those who have survived, or tragically not survived, sexual violence," Khan said.
'These are normal people'
The 51 defendants come from all walks of life — lorry drivers, soldiers, firefighters, security guards, farm workers, a supermarket worker, a journalist and the unemployed. Dominique Pelicot had worked as an electrician and estate agent.
The youngest suspect was just 22 when he entered Gisèle Pelicot's bedroom, while the oldest was in his early 70s. Most lived within a 50-kilometre radius of the Pelicots' picturesque village of Mazan, which is nestled in vineyards below Mont Ventoux.
Pelicot's ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and all but one of his co-defendants were convicted of sexually assaulting her over a period of nearly a decade after he'd knocked her unconscious by lacing her food and drink with drugs. The other co-defendant was convicted of drugging and raping his own wife with Dominique Pelicot's help
While the case may not change rape culture, it at least dismantles the pervasive idea that rapists are monsters, said Tanya Couch, a co-founder of Canadian advocacy group Survivor Safety Matters and a sexual assault survivor herself.
"These are normal people doing things behind closed doors," she said.
Still, the details of this case were extreme, noted Khan. So while it's important to recognize that not all perpetrators are "monsters," it's equally important to realize that rape culture also encompasses more everyday "mundane" acts of violence, coercion, and harassment, she added.
Public doubt more the norm, advocates say
Couch, who is based in the Greater Toronto Area, told CBC News Thursday that she's glad to see there are consequences for the men that include jail time.
"From what I can see, their system seems to be working better than ours," Couch said.
The vocal support for Gisèle was unusual, though, because typically people in a community don't want to take opposing sides until something has been proven in court, Couch added. But Dominique's admission of guilt left no doubt that he was in the wrong.
In her own case, Couch says reporting to the military police was a last resort for her and she was shocked when it wasn't taken seriously and investigated properly. But that's the case for most survivors, she added.
While many people voiced their support for Gisèle, there are still many cases of sexual violence where society questions the behaviour or actions of the survivor, not the perpetrator, Reid said.
"Arguably, there are many more cases where there is public doubt rather than public support."
And Gisèle has the benefit of being a mother, grandmother, white (or white-presenting), and coming for a middle-class family, plus the added weight of "concrete undeniable video evidence and computer data proving her husband's vicious assaults," Khan said.
"She fits the dominant idea of a 'palatable,' 'credible,' or 'perfect' victim. "
It's something Gisèle acknowledged herself as she left the courthouse Thursday, expressing support for other victims whose cases don't get such attention and "whose stories remain untold."
"I want you to know that we share the same fight," she said.
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database.
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services.
If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
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With files from the Associated Press, Reuters and Sarah Leavitt, CBC News