January blog, 2025
Michal Schonbrun, MPH
Giselle Pelicot is a seventy-two year-old mother and grandmother in southern France. She is a brave survivor of sexual abuse. She became a larger-than-life symbol and feminist icon this past year, during a nearly four-month trial, because she chose to reveal her identity and forfeit her anonymity in a most vulnerable and unimaginable situation. The trial revealed that over a period of nine years, Ms. Pelicott was drugged in her bed at home, by her husband and raped by 51 other men (ages 26-74), who were recruited from a chat room on a website used by sexual predators.
The husband documented the rapes with photos and videos, storing them on his computer in a file called “Rape”. They were viewed in the courtroom. In their testimonies, the men defended their actions with expressions such as “rape against their will,” “rape without consent,” “rape by accident” or “rape of the body but not the soul.”
*Image from Wikipedia
When Gisele Pelicot decided to make her rape trial public, French society and the world were forced to confront the phenomenon of non-consensual sex and the horrific version of rape that she endured. The case changed (false) assumptions about what it means to be a rapist and what it means to be a rape victim. In addition, Ms. Pelicot has forced the legal system to address the outrageous injustice of not including “consent” in the existing legal definition of rape in France.
The case dispelled the myth of the “monster rapist” and instead presented the abusers as completely ordinary men, the ones who live “next door.” The trial ended in December 2024 when her ex-husband and all the male defendants were found guility and sentenced to prison terms (her husband got twenty years). The founder of the website that was used by Pelicot’s ex-husband to recruit the men, was arrested only last week (early January 2025).
Pelicot will be remembered for her ultimate message, “It’s not for us (the victims) to experience the shame – it’s on them (the rapists). I want all women who have been raped to say, “Madame Pelicot did it, I can too. I don’t want them to be ashamed anymore.”
Worldwide, at least one in three women experience physical and/or sexual violence. Every female experiences gender-based harassment in her lifetime. Violence is typically committed by spouses, family members or those in close personal circles, either in the present or from the past. Rape is the most underreported crime and most cases are never reported to the police.
Most women who experience sexual assault suffer from physical and emotional health consequences. On a physical level, they suffer from chronic stress and post-trauma that can lead to drug, alcohol or medication addiction. On an emotional level, trauma intensifies feelings of helplessness, anxiety and depression, leading to long-term mental health problems such as PTSD, isolation, stigmatization and even suicide. Survivors of sexual abuse are scarred for life and often suffer from low self-esteem and shame. They often suffer in silence.
At the level of justice and accountability, when survivors are seen and their voices heard, their experiences are validated. From a legal perspective, the trial could establish new legal precedents for the prosecution of sexual violence, and send a message that such crimes will always receive severe punishment. When justice triumphs, other survivors may come forward to pursue justice themselves.
On the level of public consciousness, the trial shines a spotlight on the prevalence and severity of sexual violence, breaking the silence and combatting systemic issues such as victim blaming. The trial challenged harmful stereotypes about the women who are attacked and about “normative” men who are capable of perpetrating assault and abuse.
At the social level, laws can promote the building of mechanisms for stronger police and welfare protections for women and survivors and improve laws around “consent.” The trial could and should influence educational initiatives where schools and curriculum confront issues of gender equality, bullying, consent and dignity, while fostering a cultural shift in norms and behaviors.
On a psychological level, recognizing abusers as accountable for their actions can foster resilience in women. When victims are supported and validated, they can become role models and healers and inspire others to fight for justice and due process before the law.
What we also learn from the Pelicot trial, is that rape and violence against women have become too common, banalized and trivialized. When violence in general is normalized, it can numb our perceptions about sexual violence in particular, which seems to be more tolerated than penalized. Beyond the minority of individuals who are caught and imprisoned, our society still struggles to find ways to protect women who are often defenseless in proving they were violated, for lack of strong evidence. The fact that so few women report cases of rape speaks volumes of the failure of the justice system and a rape culture that enables it.
Furthermore it bears mention that beyond the obvious relevance for women, men too need to join the fight for justice and become part of the conversation. Observers throughout the trial asked, “Where are all the men of conscience who condemn this behavior but did not show up as allies to support women who are victims of sexual violence?”
Sexual abuse is stored in the body. The body remembers trauma and can manifest as dissociation/detachment, numbness, difficulty being vulnerable, lack of trust and a need to be in control. As a holistic sexual and reproductive health educator I see another level of empowerment that deserves more attention: body literacy.
Body literacy is about the ways in which we build and harness knowledge about our bodies. The body continually communicates and transmits information and sensations from our experiences, whether remembered consciously or not. This process affects our health, body, mind and spirit, on the deepest levels. Body literacy can teach us how to listen to and discern our own body’s language- how it communicates about our natural rhythms, changes and disruptions. It can signal what is normal and familiar as well as what is abnormal and unfamiliar. When we know how to “read our bodies,” we can identify difficult emotions, chronic sensitivities in the body, symptom patterns and distress. This can lead to taking better care of ourselves. When we learn to listen, identify and understand the body-mind and symptoms, and trust the body- we can act and make decisions which can strengthen our health. Body literacy enables us to create a bank of tools, which help us to live in better balance. Improving body literacy can enhance the ability to take responsibility and gain more control over our lives.
May we be inspired by the courage and vision of Gisele Pelicot, whose story serves as an unforgettable catalyst for social action and change. May her experience enable us to raise our voices, speak truth to power and work towards tikun olam and building a healthier and safer world for all.
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