The name Gisèle Pelicot echoes around the world today – not just as one woman’s story, but as a global rallying cry. The 54-year-old’s unblinking stare down of her rapists in an Avignon courthouse speaks to the violence faced by women everywhere, and her courageous testimony has galvanized a movement demanding change.
A Face and Body That Represent Us All
Gisèle’s auburn hair and stoic expression have become iconic – the face of every woman denied her humanity. As she entered the courthouse to hear the verdict of the men who drugged and brutally violated her, the cameras captured a woman determined to take back what was stolen from her.
Gisèle hoped, she said, by her actions to change our patriarchal society. To do that, she looked us all in the face.
– Judith Godrèche, French actor and writer
That face, and the body it belongs to, represent all of us. The ordinary men who casually chose to reduce Gisèle to an object, an outlet for their darkest impulses, are replicated in every corner of the globe. Gisèle’s story may have unfolded in a picturesque French village, but its shadow stretches across continents.
The Power of One Voice
By refusing to stay silent, by insisting on justice, Gisèle has given voice to countless survivors. Her mantra has become a global chant: She did it, so I can do it. Gisèle Pelicot is us.
Around the world, women are finding the courage to speak out against their attackers, many for the first time. They are daring to dream of a society that no longer normalizes and excuses male violence.
- In France, reports of rape and sexual assault have surged in the wake of the trial.
- Online, hashtags declaring solidarity with Gisèle have gone viral.
- And in Avignon, crowds gathered outside the courthouse to await the verdict, chanting Gisèle’s name.
Her superhuman determination has sparked a reckoning – and a realization that it is within all of our power to create change. As one, the voices of the marginalized can become an undeniable force.
From #MeToo to a Movement
The Gisèle Pelicot case may be a tipping point, but the groundwork for this global outcry has been laid over decades. From the Take Back the Night protests of the 1970s to the #MeToo explosion of recent years, women have been slowly chipping away at the silence and stigma that protects abusers.
High-profile cases like the 2016 trial of Stanford rapist Brock Turner and the conviction of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein have increasingly exposed the prevalence of rape culture and the barriers survivors face in seeking justice. Each story shared, each perpetrator held accountable, has added fuel to the fire now burning brightly in Avignon.
I stayed silent for 30 years about sexual assault and rape…I can still fight for those who do not have a voice. Like Gisèle’s, my own story speaks for all of them.
– Judith Godrèche
As the #MeToo movement makes clear, no survivor is alone. Our stories have power, and in telling them we expose the true scale of the abuse too long ignored. Gisèle Pelicot has added her voice to this chorus, and it is resounding around the world.
More Than a Verdict
20 years. That is the sentence handed down to Dominique Pelicot for his unconscionable violation of his wife. His accomplices, too, will spend years behind bars for their gleeful participation in the destruction of another human being.
But while these prison terms represent a rare and hard-fought victory, their true significance goes beyond punishment for a few criminals. What matters most is the message this verdict sends to survivors everywhere – that your suffering matters, that your humanity matters, that you matter.
For too long, women like Gisèle have been discouraged from seeking justice, pressured to carry their trauma in silence to avoid damage to their families and communities. The outcome in Avignon declares unequivocally that the true scandal lies in the crime, not in speaking the truth about it.
Gisèle’s steadfast gaze in the face of her abusers proclaims to the world that survivors have nothing to be ashamed of. The only shame belongs to the perpetrators and to the society that emboldens them.
Where #MeToo Goes From Here
A guilty verdict, while vitally important, cannot on its own undo the deep trauma Gisèle and so many others live with. Nor can a single case, however impactful, dismantle the patriarchal norms that enable gender-based violence on a mass scale.
True justice requires a wholesale transformation in how we raise our children, how we define masculinity, how we support survivors and hold space for their healing. It means continuing to tell our stories, to organize and agitate at every level for a world free of violence and abuse.
We can only hope that society will rise to the challenge thrown down by the superhuman determination of Gisèle Pelicot.
– Judith Godrèche
Gisèle Pelicot’s bravery has cracked open a door – it is up to all of us to burst through it. We must seize this moment of global attention to demand concrete action, from stronger laws and victim support services to comprehensive prevention education. We must ensure that no one has to endure what Gisèle did, that no one is left to suffer in silence.
As the crowds outside the Avignon courthouse chant in unison, their voices swelling into the night: Nous sommes tous Gisèle Pelicot. Nous ne nous tairons plus jamais. We are all Gisèle Pelicot. We will never be silent again.
