Gisèle Pelicot (/(d)ʒɪˈzɛlpɛliˈkoʊ/; French:[ʒizɛlpeliko]ⓘ; born 7December 1952) is a French woman who was the victim of the Mazan rapes. From 2011 to 2020, her then-husband, Dominique Pelicot, covertly drugged and raped her and also invited at least 83 men, mostly contacted through an unmoderated French website, to rape her while she was unconscious. Gisèle only became aware of the abuse in 2020, when Dominique was arrested for upskirting women in a local supermarket and a police search of his computer equipment revealed images of her being raped.
When Dominique and fifty other men went on trial for aggravated rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault in Avignon in 2024, Gisèle waived her right to anonymity and a trial behind closed doors. The trial attracted worldwide media attention, and Gisèle's determination to speak out on behalf of all victims of sexual assault won her widespread support and admiration. She became a feminist icon and featured in the BBC's 2024 list of 100 women of the year and the Financial Times list of the 25 most influential women of the year.
In December 2024, 50 of the 51 men on trial, including Dominique, her former husband, were convicted of raping, attempting to rape, and sexually assaulting Gisèle. The 51st man, who had not been charged with raping Gisèle, was convicted of raping his own wife. Dominique received the maximum 20-year sentence, while the other convicted men received 3- to 15-year sentences.
Background
Born on 7 December 1952 in the city of Villingen in the southern part of West Germany, Gisèle Pelicot is the daughter of a French soldier. She arrived in France when she was five and her mother died of cancer when she was nine. In 1971, she met her future husband, Dominique Pelicot.[1] They married in April 1973 and settled in the Paris suburb of Villiers-sur-Marne.[2][3] A son, David, and a daughter, Caroline, were born in the early years of the marriage; they were followed by Florian, born in 1986.[2]
Gisèle had a career in administration for the state electricity company. Dominique worked as an electrician and an estate agent and set up a number of businesses which ultimately failed.[4][5] Gisèle had a three-year affair with a colleague.[6] When Dominique discovered the affair, he moved in with another woman for several months before the couple were reconciled and resumed their life together.[2] In 2001, the couple divorced for financial reasons. They continued to cohabit and remarried in 2007.[2]
On retirement in 2013, the Pelicots moved to Mazan in southeastern France, renting a house with a swimming pool.[5] Gisèle joined a choir, while her husband did a lot of cycling.[4] In the summer holidays they were joined by their children and grandchildren.[5]
While the couple was still living in the Paris area, Gisèle was prescribed Temesta (lorazepam), a benzodiazepine. Dominique took advantage of her drugged state to rape her while she was asleep. He began to add sleeping pills obtained from his own doctor to her food and drink to render her unconscious.[7][8]
After the couple moved to Mazan, Dominique began inviting men he contacted on the internet to rape Gisèle while she was drugged. Gisèle suffered memory lapses due to the drugs; she worried that she might have Alzheimer's disease or a brain tumour, but tests came back negative. She had suspicions and on one occasion asked her husband if he was drugging her, but accepted his denial and remained unaware that she was being drugged and raped.[7][8]
After her husband was arrested for upskirting women in a local supermarket in September 2020, police discovered images of an unconscious Gisèle being raped by her husband and at least 83 other men on the computer equipment they seized from the couple's home. Gisèle recalled the day, 2 November 2020, when they were called into the police station and she was shown videos of her abuse: "Everything caved in, everything I built for 50 years". Dominique was remanded in custody. Gisèle moved out of the family home and initiated divorce proceedings; she did not see her former husband again until his trial in September 2024. The divorce was finalised just before the trial.[7][8]
Trial
The trial of Dominique and 50 other men who had been identified from the computer images began in Avignon in September 2024. As a rape victim, Gisèle had the right to anonymity and the right to a trial behind closed doors, but waived her right to anonymity and insisted on a public trial in order to raise awareness of drug-facilitated sexual assault (chemical submission) and encourage other victims of sexual crimes to speak out.[9] She successfully challenged the judge's initial decision to exclude the public from court when videos of her being raped were shown.[10] "The shame is theirs", she said, referring to the men accused of raping her.[11] "I'm lucky to have the evidence. I have the proof, which is very rare. So, I have to go through [all this] to stand for all the victims," she said of the videos.[12] When described as brave, she said: "I say it's not bravery, it's will and determination to change society."[13]
On 19 December 2024, Dominique was convicted of aggravated rape and given the maximum 20-year sentence. Of the remaining 50 co-defendants, 49 were found guilty of committing aggravated rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault against Gisèle, and were sentenced to between 3- and 15-years imprisonment. One man was found guilty of having drugged and raped his own wife with Dominique, but was not charged with having committed any offence against Gisèle.[14][15]
Speaking on 19 December after the trial, Gisèle stated: "I wanted when I started on 2 September to ensure that society could actually see what was happening and I never have regretted this decision. I now have faith in our capacity collectively to take hold of a future in which everybody, women, men, can live together in harmony, in respect and mutual understanding."[16]
Recognition and impact
Gisèle Pelicot on the front page of British newspapers, 20 December 2024
Gisèle's decision to waive her anonymity and to have her trial held in public, as well as her dignified demeanour during the trial, led to widespread public support for her. She left court each day to applause from people gathered outside, her image appeared in street art, and supportive slogans were pasted on walls around the courthouse.[11] An Australian organisation, the Australian Older Women’s Network, which raises awareness about sexual assaults against older women, sent Gisèle a scarf made by Aboriginal women, which she wore frequently to court. Speaking through her lawyer, she said that she had been touched by the gift and the connection uniting women across the world in standing up to violence against them.[17] Demonstrations were held in her support, and she became a feminist icon.[11][18]
After the verdict, supporters thanked Gisèle for her bravery and celebrated the sentence handed down to her husband.[13] She was thanked by French President Emmanuel Macron for her "dignity and courage",[21] applauded by foreign leaders such as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and recognized by international press.[22][23]
