French Law Prompted to Change After Gisèle Pelicot Case
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The small town of Mazan has been put in the international spotlight as the case of Gisèle Pelicot unfolds in a nearby Avignon courthouse, sparking urgent discussions on reform to French sexual assault laws.
Investigations began when authorities seized the phone and computer of 71-year-old Dominique Pelicot (Gisèle’s husband) for upskirting in a local supermarket, only to make a shocking discovery. Officers were horrified as they learned Dominique had been systematically raping and drugging his wife for a decade. Gisèle had been raped separately by at least 83 different men, 50 of whom are now on trial. Dominique, who has now pleaded guilty, kept video documentation of each assault which he facilitated in his own home.
The men were sourced through online chatrooms on coco.fr, a site found in a corner of the dark web, which has since been taken down by the French authorities. Dominique drugged his wife’s food and wine, before the perpetrators entered via a back entrance of the house.
For 10 years (2010 to 2020), Gisèle Pelicot thought she had Alzheimer’s due to the mysterious bruises and her experience of apparent gaps in her memories. At the time, Dominique accompanied her to the gynaecologist and brain scans when she doubted her health. Gisèle stated her feelings towards her husband in this period were positive: “How lucky am I to have you at my side,” she once thought.
This case has had ripple effects across French society and has rekindled protests around women’s rights and the legal classification of rape. The French law defines rape as, “any act of sexual penetration of any kind whatsoever, or any oral-genital act committed … by violence, coercion, threat, or surprise.” However, what is clearly missing in this is any explicit mention of “consent”. Without this, defendants have been able to claim that they assumed Gisèle was role-playing, pretending to be asleep.
Moreover, the lack of security that the law provides against victims of rape in France is correlated with the extremely low rate of reporting. According to a survey by the Ministry of Interior in 2022, only 6% of rape or attempted rape cases are reported in France. Changes in legislation have been proven to alter these shocking statistics, for instance when in 2018, the Swedish government introduced an amended law that stipulated, “sex is always voluntary; if not, it’s a crime.” This change resulted in the dramatic rise of rape reports and convictions surged by 75%. These amendments have been embraced by French justice minister, Didier Migaud, who expressed he was open-minded about the changes in light of the Pelicot case.
However, a change in legislation won’t be enough to stop these horrific cases from happening. At the root of this heinous crime is an entanglement of loose drug prescription laws, misogyny and a generation addicted to pornography. The perpetrators range in age from 26 to 74, with occupations spanning from gardeners to city councillors. This case suggests unfortunately more than just legislative reforms are required to tackle these deep-rooted issues.