Gisèle Pelicot, the sentence: 20 years for her husband, aggravated rape

IThe verdict of the Avignon court has arrived and found Dominique Pelicot guilty of aggravated rape, sentencing him to 20 years in prison. MGisèle Pelicot’s seventy-two year old, through the Internet, recruited dozens of men willing to rape an unconscious woman, “volunteers” ready to participate in crimes that he organized and managed. Pelicot was also found guilty of having recorded images of his daughter Caroline and two nieces, naked or in underwear, while they were asleep.

The sentence for the rapes suffered by Gisèle Pelicot: 20 years in prison for Dominique Pelicot

The sentence is only the last act of a story, the case of the “Mazan rapes”as it was defined, which shook France and the whole world. And not only for the brutality of the crimes committed, but also for a disturbing question that involves the whole of society: how is it possible that for ten years, in a small French town, a woman was systematically drugged and raped without anyone intervening?

The common men who raped without shame

The answer to this question, unfortunately, goes beyond the individual culpability of the fifty-one defendants. The fact that only fifteen of them expressed remorse during the trial is a fact that should give pause for thought. How is it possible that dozens of ordinary men found it acceptable to participate in gang rapes about a woman on drugs? The thought that there is a deep cultural problem arises.

Gisèle Pelicot for all women

From this process, however, another story also emerges: that of the human resilience of the victim, Gisèle Pelicotwho found the strength not only to report, but to face a public trial that required reliving years of trauma. The shout “Merci Gisèle” from the demonstrators outside the Avignon courthouseintends to recognize precisely this: a courage that is not only personal, but which becomes a political act that paves the way for other women.

The social network that helps victims

The constant presence of protesters during all hearings demonstrates the desire not only to support a victim, but to collectively affirm that gender violence can no longer be ignored or minimized. And every woman who finds the courage to report contributes to breaking that culture of silence that has protected attackers for too long.

Break the silence

The sentence certainly represents an act of justice, too if no sentence can ever erase the trauma suffered in Gisèle Pelicot. The “Mazan rapes”, however, also teach that breaking the silence is possible and that justice, however late and imperfect, can be obtained.

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