Photo by Amin Zabardast on Unsplash.
Authored by Kimberly M. Hult
Earlier today, a French court announced its verdicts following a lengthy rape trial of 51 men in Avignon, France. Every one of the men was convicted, and many (but not all) face long prison terms. For those of us who have followed the case closely for months, this outcome could never have been achieved without the courage, dignity and resilience of Gisèle Pelicot, the survivor of dozens, if not hundreds, of assaults. For those unfamiliar with the case, over the course of a decade, Ms. Pelicot’s husband, one of the men convicted, had arranged for more than 50 (and maybe as many as 80) strangers to come into the couple’s home and rape Ms. Pelicot, a petite mother and grandmother, after he had first drugged her and she had become unconscious.
Under French law, Ms. Pelicot had the right to remain anonymous through these proceedings. She instead made the decision not only to proceed under her own name, but also to insist that all phases of the trial be public, including the viewing of horrific videos that her husband had made of the rapes and maintained in a file folder on his computer labeled “Abuse.”
Ms. Pelicot has insisted that she should not bear any shame for what happened to her; her assailants deserved the shame. To be clear, her decision to proceed publicly, which has resulted in international media attention, could not have been easy. Today, however, she told reporters that she has never regretted her decision.
Ms. Pelicot has been rightfully hailed throughout France and beyond for her courage and poise and has ignited an important debate in that country about the definition of rape in the French criminal code and the need for affirmative consent to be part of that definition.
She deserves every bit of the admiration and love that she has received.
Ever humble, this morning, Ms. Pelicot expressed her “profound gratitude” to her supporters, who have greeted and applauded her every morning and every evening outside of the courthouse. For more than 20 years, I have worked with sexual assault survivors, and I have learned just how important true support is to them.
But if I have also learned anything over the last couple of decades, it is that it is not easy to fight such an important battle so publicly. To do so while recovering from sexual abuse requires an inner strength that is not available to many. Gisèle Pelicot came forward publicly for all of those who simply could not.
This holiday season she, and so many like her, have my deepest and most profound gratitude.