Why Gisele Pelicot refused to be a nameless, faceless “rape victim”

Gisele Pelicot, a 72-year-old French survivor of rape, has become an extraordinary case of courage ever since she decided to publicly out her ex-husband for his years-long sexual abuse.

On December 20, after a gruelling three-month trial in the southern city of Avignon, her former husband, Dominique Pelicot, was found guilty, and sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison.

He was sentenced alongside 50 other defendants, whose prison terms ranged from three to 15 years.

Pelicot’s case was unusual from the start.

From 2011 to 2020, Dominique recruited at least 83 men, mostly contacted through an unmoderated French website, to assault her after drugging her in their home.

Her abuse spanned nearly a decade, but she only learned of it in 2020 after her husband’s arrest for unrelated crimes led to the discovery of incriminating evidence when he was arrested for taking underskirt videos of women at a local supermarket.

A subsequent search of his computer revealed disturbing footage of her being raped while she was in a comatose state.

That was when she set out to do something that set her apart from millions of other sexual assault victims across the world.

Pelicot decided to stand up against her abusers in court, opting for a public trial and waiving her right of anonymity, demanding her abuser be ashamed.

“It's not us who should feel shame, but them (the perpetrators),” she later explained in interviews.

Since then, Gisele Pelicot’s stand has been not only a personal victory but also a rallying cry for survivors everywhere.

Her decision to confront her abusers in court has made her an international feminist icon and a beacon of hope for those seeking justice in the face of unspeakable violence.

"I wanted all woman victims of rape – not just when they have been drugged, rape exists at all levels,” she said, “I want those women to say: Madame Pelicot did it, we can do it too."

Over the weeks, outrage and solidarity have continued to grow, both in France and globally.

“Thank you Gisele Pelicot... For all of us, because your dignity and your courage have moved and inspired France and the world,” French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X following the latest verdict.

The grandmother of 7 was featured on the BBC's 2024 list of 100 Women and recognised by the Financial Times as one of the 25 most influential women of 2024.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez were among world leaders who applauded her courage, describing her as a symbol of “dignity” and “courage”.

In her first comments after the judgment, Pelicot said that she “never regretted” opening the trial to the public and was now thinking of the “unrecognised victims whose stories often remain in the shadows”.

“I now have confidence in our capacity to find a better future where everyone, women and men alike, can live in harmony with respect and mutual understanding,” she said.