Gisèle Pelicot: In the Avignon Process she became a feminist hero - which must change so that sustainable changes can now follow
Trigger warning: Warning, the following article is about sexual violence against women.
The trial that has kept millions of people in suspense this year ended on December 19, 2024 - with a verdict that will make history: Dominique Pelicot, the main defendant in the trial, was convicted of the serious rape of Gisèle Pelicot sentenced to 20 years in prison. Pelicot sedated his then-wife Gisèle with drugs for almost a decade and had her repeatedly raped by more than 50 men with whom he networked online. In total, it is estimated today that there were over 200 rapes.
A total of 51 stood next to Dominiquein court. Each (!) of them was found guilty of at least one crime, with almost all of them being convicted of rape. The prison sentences now announced range from three to 15 years, with two of the men receiving suspended sentences. It is a process that not only went around the world, but could change women's world permanently - if the right consequences are drawn now.
Gisèle Pelicot: Your decision to make the Avignon process public sparked a feminist movement
The Front féministe international, an umbrella organization of 85 feminist collectives from eight countries, hailed the conviction of Dominique Pelicot as “historic,” saying: “In a country where only 10 percent of victims of sexual violence report it and 94 percent of those reports are dismissed “In a country where rapists go virtually unpunished, this verdict is historic.”
The trial is also historic because Gisèle Pelicot decided to make the trial accessible to the press and so her story could be followed worldwide. This is also the case in Germany, where the...media attention was focused on the topic: sexual crimes increased by 6.2 percent from 2022 to 2023.
The Frenchwoman made it more than clear in various press releases and statements in court why Gisèle Pelicot waived her right to anonymity: in order to protect both her attackers and the large social system that continues to allow these acts and systematically make them invisible confront. Her phrase “Shame must change sides” became the epitome of this fight, which must not end in the Avignon courtroom. “It’s time for the macho, patriarchal society that trivializes rape to change,” Pelicot said.
Additionally, Pelicot's case and reporting have highlighted the myths surrounding rape and violence against women that are part of the cover-up of the problem. Like the entrenched idea that rape is only committed by particularly conspicuous, monstrous men - an idea that was also found in parts of the reporting surrounding the Avignon trial. For example, when it was said that the “Devil of Avignon” was on trial. As if this were about a being that was not from this world. The reality of the trial, however, made it clear: the defendants were people who were in the middle of society, journalists, computer scientists, nurses.
The legacy of Gisèle Pelicot's struggle now needs real-political consequences
We live in a society steeped in patriarchal values; a society in which sexual assault and rape act as a means of oppression and reinforce systems of power and control. Questioning these systems, as is happening again at least in Europe and the USA thanks to Gisèle Pelicot, is threatening for many because it requires a fundamental redistribution of power.
In concrete terms, this means that the right people must now draw the right conclusions. Among other things, this is due to the fact that many women consider the sentences given to be too lenient. In France, the penalties for rape and sexual assault vary greatly. Judges may decide depending on the age of the victim and theto impose penalties of between 15 and 30 years for rape and up to seven years and a fine of 100,000 euros for sexual assault. Given the extreme nature of Dominique's crimes, many had hoped for a life sentence.
The other problem that the exceptional reporting and the participation of so many women in demonstrations surrounding the Avignon trial implicitly draws attention to is how absent these issues are from the press - and how low the actual conviction rates - are. And not just in France. In the United Kingdom, for example, the number of rape prosecutions has fallen by 70 percent in the last four years, despite record numbers of cases being reported. In March 2022, 70,330 rape cases were reported in England and Wales, but only 2,223 charges were made - a prosecution rate of just over 3 percent.
The Women Against Violence eV reports similarly shocking figures in Germany: “According to a representative study (BMFSFJ 2004), 13 percent of all women in Germany experience criminally relevant forms of sexual violence. 10 percent have experienced rape or attempted rape. At the same time, research shows that only around 5-15 percent of women who have been raped report it. (…) Criminal prosecution statistics provide information about how many suspects are convicted. The average number of reported cases of rape and severe forms of sexual assault in recent years has been less than 10 percent. (…)” Overall, based on these figures, it can be assumed that “a conviction actually occurs in less than 1 percent of cases”.
The problem is therefore double-edged: Firstly, women must have the courage to report their case. Secondly, the entire criminal justice chain must create an environment in which this is actually possible without unnecessary retraumatization, immense costs for victims and with a realistic prospect of the perpetrator being convicted. “Shame must change sides” is a strong statement, but the police, judiciary and politicians must work to ensure that there is any scope to bring about this social change.
In France, the government has already taken the first steps to create this space. Women can now finally bill their statutory health insurance for necessary medical tests after suspected sedation or involuntary drug exposure. Rape victims in France will also be able to file a complaint in hospital. In the future, police forces will have to come to the victims instead of the other way around as before. Better support for women's shelters is also planned, government representatives said. In addition, the debate was initiated to enshrine in law a “only yes means yes” rule based on the Spanish model, which makes sexual intercourse without express consent a punishable offense.
However, experts and women's rights activists still largely see these steps as inadequate. There must also be specific training and further education for police and judicial staff in order to ensure psychologically safe dealings with rape victims. Furthermore, one can discuss what it means when a number of headlines now say that the Avignon Process will bring about change “for all” women.
Because as useful and important as the debates that Gisèle Pelicot has initiated with her merciless openness are, their effectiveness is limited to local areas. It is doubtful that women in...or inare really safer because new laws are being passed in Central Europe. And even there, as independent associations also point out, not all women are equally safe. PoC women, for example, continue to face racism from both the police and the judiciary. And even before it was reported in the medical field, doctors were less likely to correctly diagnose or provide medication with a larger gender health gap.
What that means above all is: We must not rest after the victory in Avignon or look away. And our commitment to combating violence against women can take many forms: from privately supporting survivors, organizing and participating in protests, writing to MPs, donating to organizations - or further spreading stories like Gisèle's.
Have you or someone you know been a victim of (sexualized) violence? OnHelp infoYou will find information about the specific procedure for filing a complaint and important advice centers.
This article was created with text passages from our GLAMOR colleagues in the UK.
