by Adele

In September, in France’s Judicial Court of Avignon, the trial of 72-year-old Dominique Pelicot began. It will run through December. He pled guilty to arranging for 82 men to rape his wife, Gisele Pelicot, now aged 72, approximately 200 times over nine years between 2011 to 2020 in their home. She was unaware of this because he drugged her into unconsciousness every time, spiking her food with lorazepam and other drugs in a practice known as “chemical submission.” She experienced serious health problems from the rapes including gynecological pain unexplained by her doctors. She had memory loss and fatigue from the drugs, and believed she was developing Alzheimer’s disease.

‘MINOR’ CRIME LEADS TO RAPE CONVICTION

Dominique was arrested in September 2020 when a security guard caught him “upskirting” (surreptitiously filming up women’s skirts) three women in a supermarket. His camcorder and camera were seized along with two mobile phones, a laptop, and digital equipment found at his home. A USB stick attached to his computer contained a file labeled “Abuse” containing over 20,000 photos and videos of the rapes of Gisele. He labeled these with dates, names of perpetrators, and types of acts. This allowed police to identify and locate 50 suspects, aged between 21 and 68. They are on trial with Dominique, and five are additionally charged with possessing images of child abuse. Another defendant, Jean-Pierre Marechal, was taught by Dominique how to drug and rape his own wife.

Dominique shared videos of himself raping his unconscious wife in a chatroom called “Without Her Knowledge.” He used this and Skype to invite other men to participate. The chatroom was on a website called “Coco.gg,” shut down in June 2024 for its connection with over 23,000 French criminal cases.

Additional nude photos on his USB were of his two daughters-in-law and daughter Caroline Darian taken without their knowledge. Ms. Darian published a book in 2022, And I Stopped Calling You Dad: When Chemical Submission Strikes a Family. She formed an organization M’Endors Pas (Don’t Put Me to Sleep) to publicize the harms of drug-facilitated crimes.

OPEN TRIAL TO OPEN MINDS

Gisele Pelicot successfully fought for the judges to open the trial to the public and allow ten photos and twelve videos used as evidence to be shown in court. She wanted the public to “look rape straight in the eyes.” She divorced her husband of 30 years in 2020. In court, she stated, “I still don’t understand how this man who was the perfect man could do this, could destroy my life and betray me.”

All the codefendants are from the Pelicots’ home village of Mazan, where most of the offenses were committed. “So, we know 30 out of 80 still haven’t been caught. There are tensions here because people don’t know if they can trust their neighbors,” said villager Isabelle Liversain. Mayor Louis Bonnett, age 74, exhibited the persistence of patriarchal attitudes, claiming the rapes were not very serious since the victim was not killed and was not conscious.

Across France, thousands of women and male allies held rallies in solidarity. Signs read, “We are All Gisele,” “Rapist, We See You, Victim We Believe You,” “Not All Men, But Always a Man.” Graffiti in Avignon reads “Don’t Put Me to Sleep,” “Ordinary Men, Horrible Crimes,” and Gisele’s own statement “Shame Must Change Sides.”

In Greece, the Initiative Against Women’s Genocide, which fights for the elimination of violence against women, issued a statement of support for Gisele. Thirty women’s organizations signed, thanking her for holding the trial in public, stating, “This will allow society to become aware of the extent of the abuse suffered by women in France, Greece, and around the world.” They join feminists worldwide asking “political authorities…to ensure safe conditions for women. Our struggle is international, because violence against women is a global problem.”

WORLDWIDE SUPPORT FOR GISELE

In Australia, Yumi Lee, a CEO of the Older Women’s Network (OWN), stated, “If we could be there, we would hold up placards with ‘We Believe You, Gisele’ and ‘You Are Our Champion.’” Gisele was 57 years old when the rapes began, and OWN has worked to call attention to the sexual assault of older women for years. The organization sent Pelicot a silk scarf crafted by First Nations women, stating, “We hope that when she wears it, she knows she has the backing and solidarity of women who are thousands of kilometers from the courtroom.”

This case shows the worldwide persistence of misogyny resulting in sexual violence against women. The defendants are often described as “ordinary.” Many were sexually abused as boys but chose to repeat this cycle of violence. Some stated in court that even thinking about drugging and raping women made them feel “powerful.” They reported believing raping Gisele was acceptable since they had her husband’s permission. Some had other victims, and their girlfriends don’t know if they are among them. Modern technology assisted the commission of these crimes and the spread of misogynist attitudes but it has also assisted Gisele Pelicot to reignite a worldwide movement against patriarchal violence.