The voice of Gisele Pelicot it was addressed to the judges who questioned her in the courtroom. But she who for years was drugged by her husband who had her raped by strangers, 50 of whom were accused in the trial, was speaking above all to all women: «I am a completely destroyed woman – said the protagonist of the case that shook the France – but I will fight to change this society.” He wanted to talk, he wanted the trial for ‘him Mazan rapes‘, a town in the south of France, was not taking place behind closed doors. And this despite the scandalous themes and images of this story, not to mention the accusations she had to suffer from the defense lawyers, many of whom insinuated that she was not stunned as she claimed, but was well aware and even “provoked” the men summoned by her husband, who filmed the violence.
The courage to speak up for other women
He wanted to speak and wanted everyone to be able to hear and see the images of this trial so that «all the women victims of rape can say to themselves ‘Madame Pelicot did it, we can do it too’. I no longer want – he exclaimed – them to feel ashamed. We don’t have to feel the shame, they have to feel it. Above all, I express here my will and my determination to change this society.”
Gisèle Pelicot as a symbol of the feminist movement
At 71 years old, Gisele Pelicot has become a symbol of feministshis case is a case of #metoo multiplied to the nth power. The stories, the videos, the images, the admissions of what happened for years in her home, when she was stunned by the drugs that her spouse gave her, have marked a point that many did not believe possible: «I want – she said today in a loud voice clear – may my example serve others.” The trial, in which the husband and the 50 defendants risk 30 years in prison, has reached the halfway point of its long journey, which began on 2 September and is scheduled to run until 20 December. The victim was then invited to “give his impressions” by the president of the court, Roger Arata.
The pain and betrayal of a destroyed life
«I don’t know how I will rebuild myself – admitted Gisèle – how I will get back up after all this. Luckily, I have the help of a psychiatrist, but I will still need many years. Soon I will be 72, and I don’t know if my life will be enough to get back up again.” The tension increased further when the woman turned to her husband in the dock. She never looked at him, she just asked him forcefully: “How could you?”. For 10 years, drugs and anxiolytics, rapes by strangers he recruited on the Internet. «I’m trying to understand how my husband, the perfect man, managed to do something like this… this betrayal is immeasurable. Fifty years together – she said to the public – I thought I would end my days with this guy… You have touched the bottom of the human soul, unfortunately it was you who chose”.