Gisèle Pélicot's husband is accused of soliciting men to rape her. During the trial, she refused to remain anonymous.

In France, a 71-year-old man named Dominique Pelicot has admitted to repeatedly drugging and raping his wife, Gisèle Pelicot, over a decade – and asking dozens of men to sexually assault her while she was unconscious.

In total, the police found that at least 72 men were involved.

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In an ongoing sexual assault case, Gisèle Pelicot, also 71, bravely rejected anonymity and the possibility of a private trial, thereby rejecting French legal norms. She said she chose to make her identity public to raise awareness for other victims of drug-related sexual assault in France.

Laura Frader, a history professor at Northeastern University who studies gender attitudes in Europe, told Vox: “While there may be even more skepticism in France than in the U.S. about the legitimacy of sexual assault and sexual harassment, those attitudes are changing rapidly, especially as a younger generation of women and French feminists and their male allies are willing to confront these issues head-on. The Pelicot case is sure to reinforce that trend.”

This horrific case gains significance given the increasing number of sexual assault complaints in the country in recent years. In 2024, similar cases came to light involving well-known actors and directors in the film industry.

During the trial, it was revealed that Dominique had given Gisèle a combination of different drugs and had incited men to rape her. According to Gisèle, she knew nothing about the attacks and suffered from memory lapses. In fact, she only learned the truth when the police searched Dominique's computer – after he was caught taking photos up women's skirts in public.

“My world fell apart,” she said of the discovery. “To be honest, these are horror scenes for me… They treat me like a rag doll.”

In a folder titled “Abuse,” police discovered thousands of photos and videos of Dominique and other men raping the unconscious Gisèle. There were also nude photos of her daughter, who said her father was “probably one of the worst sex offenders of the last 20 years.”

According to reports, over 50 defendants accused of aggravated rape will testify. The trial is scheduled to last until December 20.