Why Gisle Pelicot, at the heart of France's shocking mass rape trial, is being called a hero

WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

It's not unusual for Gisle Pelicot to be greeted with applause when she walks through the courthousein the southern French city of Avignon.

In the midst of a horrifying mass rape trial against her husbandand 50 other accused men, Pelicot, 72, is being calleda feminist hero, inspiring thousands of marches, rallies and a push forlegal reformto France's rape law to include consent for the first time.

DominiquePelicot, her husband,has admittedto inviting dozens of strangers over nearly 10 years to their house to rape her after he had drugged her unconscious.

Gisle Pelicothas been touted for her bravery,not just for surviving her ordeal but for waiving her right to anonymity,and her composurein the witness box, where she standsfirm that it's the men not her who should be ashamed.

And now that Pelicot has taken the stand for a second time in the trial, which began on Sept. 2, her words have been shared across media and social platforms, with people online even petitioning for her to be made Time magazine'sPerson of the Year or be given the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sexual assault experts and advocates say she's changing the discourse about rape, andPelicotherself has said she's "determined that things change in this society."

"I've decided not to be ashamed.I've done nothing wrong.... They are the ones who must be ashamed," Pelicot said Wednesday.

This flips the script on the history of victim-blaming and shaming that is often seen around sexual assault survivors, said Bailey Reid, CEO of the Ottawa-based sexual violence prevention programThe Spark Strategy.

"So often, survivors feel they should be ashamed of what happened to them and that they should blame themselves in some way," Reid told CBC News.

WATCH | People applaudGisle Pelicot:

Gisle Pelicot applauded after testifying in mass rape trial

6 days ago

Duration 0:17

Gisle Pelicot, who was allegedly drugged and raped by dozens of men in a scheme orchestrated by her husband, was greeted with flowers and applause after testifying in a public trial.

"By going public and calling out the perpetrators,Gisle Pelicotshifts the shame from the victim where patriarchy and rape culture place the blameto the perpetrators," saidUmmni Khan, an associate professor in the department of law and legal studies at Carleton University in Ottawa.

"Instead, she asserts her power as a survivor, as a hero,in fact,for the women in France and all over the world."

Men who apologized 'trying to excuse themselves'

Over the last several weeks, the court learned that Pelicot and her husband of 50 yearslived in a house in Mazan, a small town in Provence. In2020, a security agent caught DominiquePelicot taking photos upwomen's skirts in a supermarket, leading investigators to search hisphone and computer.

They found thousands of photographs and videos of men appearing to rape Pelicot in their home whenshe seemed to be unconscious. Police investigators found communications that DominiquePelicot sent on a messaging website commonly used by criminals, in which he invited men to sexually abuse his wife.

Dominique Pelicot admitted his guiltand alleges that the 50 men standing trial alongside him understood exactly what they were doing.The defendants range in age from 26 to 74.

"She is challenging the myths surrounding sexual assault, including the belief that one is safe at home and the idea that rapists are monstrous figures rather than neighbours and community members," said Khan,whoresearches gender, sexuality and the law. "Her willingness to sit there and listen to the perpetrators try to make up excuses shows incredible courage."

Despite video evidence against them, at least 35 of the defendants have denied the rape charges, claiming that DominiquePelicottricked them into believing they were taking part in a sex gameor that his wifewas feigning sleep. Only a few have admitted to raping Pelicot, and some have apologized which she does not accept.

"By apologizing, they are trying to excuse themselves," Pelicot said Wednesday.

She also testifiedhow "unbelievably violent" it was for her that many of the accused in the trialsaid they thought she agreed to the rapes or was faking sleep.

"For me they are rapists, they remain rapists. Rape is rape.... Of course today I feel responsible for nothing. Today, above all, I'm a victim.... We have to progress on rape culture in society."

WATCH |Gisle Pelicot's lawyer blasts 'cowardice':

Lawyer in French mass rape trial blasts 'cowardice' of men

4 days ago

Duration 0:17

Lawyer Stphane Babonneau says Gisle Pelicot cannot forgive the 'cowardice' of the 50 men accused of raping her while she was drugged unconscious by her husband. Any one of them could have warned the authorities anonymously, 'and so for her this is also the trial of cowardice,' he said.

Husband's corroboration makes case unique

Tanya Couch, a co-founder of advocacy group Survivor Safety Matters and a sexual assault survivor herself, told CBC Newsshe agrees that Pelicotis most definitely a heroand that allowing her story to be so public is an act of incrediblevulnerability.

"Without her courageous and selfless act, we wouldn't be having this insight into how these 'normal' men are behaving behind closed doors," said Couch,who lives in the Greater Toronto Area.

However, she stressed, thiskind ofpublic support and rallying for Pelicot is not the experience of most survivors.Pelicot's case hastwo factors that place it apart from most other sexualassault cases, she said: police evidence and her husband's corroboration of her story.

"The baseline is that women are not believed," Couchsaid.

Last year, French authorities registered 114,000 victims of sexual violence, including more than 25,000 reported rapes. But experts there say most rapes go unreported due to a lack of tangible evidence: About 80 per centof women don't press charges, and 80 per centof the ones who do see their case dropped before it is investigated.

In Canada, too, the majority of sexualassaults aren't reported to the police,according to the Department of Justice. Between 2017 and 2022, the rate of police-reported sexual assaults increased 38 per cent, notes Statistics Canada.In 2022, just 31 per cent of sexual assault cases were dealt with by havingcharges laid or recommended by police.

That year, 10,028 incidents of sexual assault were classified by police in Canada as having "insufficient evidence to proceed with laying or recommending a charge," representing 30 per centof all police-reported sexual assaults, according to a2024 Statistics Canadareport.

"The public is emboldened tosupport Gisle because her husband corroborated his actions. If he had said that she consented to it, that she was playing along, like most men do when they're charged with sexual assault, we wouldn't be having thisconversation,"Couch said. "It would just be a 'he said, shesaid' case again."

Reid, with The Spark Strategy, said she believesany survivor of sexual violence is incredibly brave whether or not they choose to tell anyone at all and that while Pelicot'smessages challenging shame and stigma arepowerful, it's important to support and believe all survivors.

"If we all started with that simple step, we could all be feminist heroes," she said.

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via theEnding Violence Association of Canada database.

For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available throughcrisis 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.