AVIGNON: Gisele Pelicot, whose ex-husband and dozens of other men are on trial in France accused of raping her, said on Wednesday she was “broken” by her ordeal, but also “determined” to help other women.

The 71-year-old has become a feminist icon in France since the trial of Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men opened last month in the southern French city of Avignon.

The case has sparked horror, protests and a debate about male violence in French society.

“I am a woman who is completely broken,” Gisele Pelicot told the court, adding that she wanted to “change society” in terms of how it deals with sexual assault.

Gisele Pelicot insisted from the start that the trial should be open to the public, and has encouraged other women who have been sexually assaulted to come forward.

“I wanted all women who are rape victims to say to themselves ‘Mrs Pelicot did it, so we can do it too’,” she said. “It’s not us who should feel shame, but them (the perpetrators)”, she said.

Gisele Pelicot addressed the court for the second time on Wednesday, at the invitation of presiding judge Roger Arata who asked for her “impressions” of the trial so far.

“I don’t know how I’m going to rebuild myself,” she said. “I’m 72 soon and I’m not sure my life will be long enough to recover from this.” She then addressed her former husband who was sitting in the dock without looking at her, asking him to explain what made him drug her over almost a decade, rape her and enlist strangers to do the same.

“I’m trying to understand how my husband, who was the perfect man, became like this. How my life changed. How you could allow these people into our house knowing that I disliked swinging. For me, this betrayal is immeasurable. After 50 years together… I used to think I was going to be with this man until the end.”

She added, looking steadily her husband who looked away: “I always tried to lift you higher, you who plumbed the depths of the human soul, but you made your own choices.” Gisele Pelicot, who was greeted with applause by the audience as she arrived, has attended the trial most days.

Dominique Pelicot filmed much of the abuse against his wife and also took meticulous records of the strangers visiting their home, which subsequently helped police uncover the crimes.

He has admitted to drugging his then-wife and inviting men to rape her between 2011 and 2020.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024