In a packed courtroom in Avignon, France, 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot’s harrowing testimony has the power to forever transform attitudes around sexual violence and consent. For an agonizing decade, Gisèle endured the unthinkable—drugged and repeatedly raped by her husband and the over 50 men he recruited online to assault her while she lay unconscious in their home.
This case is notable not just for the shocking depravity of the crimes, but for Gisèle’s extraordinary bravery in waiving her right to anonymity. She said she wanted to testify “for all women” and ensure that “no woman suffers this.” Her words echoed through France and around the world: “I was sacrificed on the altar of vice. They regarded me like a rag doll, like a garbage bag.”
A Horrifying Decade of Abuse
Gisèle and her husband Dominique moved to the idyllic village of Mazan in 2013 after four decades of marriage. Soon after, Gisèle began suffering inexplicable ailments—weight loss, hair falling out, blackouts, memory loss. Unbeknownst to her, Dominique was secretly drugging her food and drink, rendering her unconscious so he could rape her himself and invite other men to do the same.
His monstrous crimes were only discovered when he was arrested for a separate offense of filming upskirt videos. Police searching his devices found 20,000 images and videos documenting the rapes in a folder chillingly labeled “abuse.” When Gisèle saw the evidence, she said, “Everything caved in, everything I built for 50 years.” The abuse spanned 2011 to 2020.
The “Monsieur Tout le Monde” Perpetrators
Shockingly, the men who raped Gisèle were not shadowy figures, but the epitome of ordinary French citizens—earning them the moniker “Monsieur Tout le Monde” or “Mr. Everyman.” They included a journalist, a prison warden, a soldier, a nurse, lorry drivers, farm workers. Many were fathers. Aged 26 to 74, they came from all walks of life, connected only by the depravity Dominique enabled them to commit.
Most of the men denied the allegations, claiming they didn’t realize Gisèle was unconscious, that they thought it was an elaborate roleplay facilitated by her husband, or arguing that they didn’t really understand consent. Some even claimed to be victims of Dominique themselves. In the end, the court found 46 men guilty of rape, 2 of attempted rape, and 2 of sexual assault, with Dominique receiving the maximum 20-year sentence.
Gisèle’s Brave Stand for All Women
Throughout the grueling four-month trial, Gisèle’s resilience was remarkable. She attended court every day, greeted by cheering crowds of supporters. Her choice to go public, as she put it, made “shame swap sides” from victim to perpetrator.
I was sacrificed on the altar of vice. They regarded me like a rag doll, like a garbage bag.
– Gisèle Pelicot
Gisèle said she testified to open the country’s eyes to the “macho, patriarchal culture” and show that a rapist is not just “a stranger in a parking lot” but can be “someone in your own home.” Campaigners are hailing the trial as a historic turning point that will forever change how sexual violence is perceived and prosecuted in France.
A Reckoning on Consent and Sexual Violence
The Gisèle Pelicot case has turbocharged an already robust public discourse in France around sexual violence, consent, and the use of alcohol/substances to facilitate rape. The graphic courtroom videos left no doubt about the unconscious, non-consensual nature of the acts, demolishing the excuses of the accused.
While the current political crisis in France’s government may delay immediate legislative reforms, the trial’s impact on social attitudes is undeniable. Gisèle’s heroic stand, and the outpouring of solidarity she received, mark a powerful shift. As she said, at 72 she may not have much time left, but she is fiercely committed to changing things for the next generation.
The Gisèle Pelicot case is a devastating reminder of the pervasiveness of sexual violence and the deep-rooted myths around rape that still persist. But in her courage and France’s emphatic response, there is reason to hope that real, transformative change is possible. That the shame and blame can finally be placed where it belongs—not on the victims, but on the perpetrators. And that no woman will suffer in silence again.
