French Woman Reveals Decades of Drugging & Rape by Husband & Others
For years, Gisèle Pelicot lived with a growing sense of unease, battling unexplained physical symptoms and memory lapses. She feared a serious neurological condition, even cancer – a disease that had claimed her mother’s life when Pelicot was just nine years old. The horrifying truth, she would later discover, was far more insidious, a betrayal at the hands of the man she had shared her life with for over five decades.
The revelation came in the form of photographs presented to her by French police officers. “I didn’t realise straight away that was me on those photographs, because I didn’t recognise myself,” Pelicot told RTÉ’s Prime Time. “Later, my brain kind of disassociated. I wasn’t able to accept the reality of what was going on.”
Pelicot was systematically drugged and raped by her then-husband, Dominique Pelicot, over a period of at least a decade, while unconscious. He documented the assaults, creating a disturbing archive of images and videos. The case, which came to light after Dominique Pelicot was arrested for secretly filming women under their skirts in a local supermarket in late 2020, has since become a landmark case in France, sparking a national conversation about sexual violence and the importance of victim support.
The police investigation, triggered by the upskirting arrest, unearthed thousands of images and videos on Dominique Pelicot’s devices, detailing the horrific abuse. Initially, Pelicot struggled to reconcile the evidence with her perception of her husband. “I felt it was absolutely impossible for him to have done something as awful as that because I didn’t believe that was the man with whom I shared my life,” she said.
The turning point came when a police officer began showing her the images. “The [police officer] said he was going to show me things that wouldn’t please me, and he started to show me one, two, three photographs, and then it stopped because at that point I said, ‘please stop,’” Pelicot recalled. At first, she even entertained the idea that the images had been digitally manipulated. “Your brain finds ways of defending yourself and thinking those things are not possible.”
The realization shattered her world, not only destroying her image of her husband but also deeply impacting her children. “I couldn’t imagine that I’d lived with a rapist, and I think that’s also the case for a certain number of women,” she said.
In a courageous move, Pelicot chose to waive her right to anonymity during the subsequent trial, a decision she arrived at after careful consideration and a period of rebuilding her life. “It took me time before making that decision,” she explained. “I first of all had to build myself again because after discovering what had happened I felt destroyed. I had lost everything. I had to learn who I was, and would I be able to face it?” Her children’s encouragement also played a significant role. “At the time I said ‘no’ to the children, but then over time I thought potentially it could be useful – that shame must change sides. And I’ve never regretted the choice I’ve made.”
The trial was fraught with difficulty, including accusations that Pelicot had been a willing participant – claims she vehemently rejected. “They were difficult because when you’re a victim, you’re not culpable.”
The outcome of the trial saw Dominique Pelicot convicted of aggravated rape and sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison. Forty-nine other men, identified through the videos and images, were also found guilty of at least one charge, receiving sentences ranging from three to fifteen years. However, many other attackers remain unidentified.
Dominique Pelicot was also found guilty of taking indecent images of his daughter, Caroline, and his daughters-in-law, Aurore and Celine. The discovery of a hidden camera further compounded the trauma. “He had a hidden camera. That really upsets me because she [Caroline] was totally devastated, and she still doesn’t have any answers. I hope she will get some answers from her father because she’s also pressing charges against him. I’m very proud of what she’s done.”
Pelicot has since chronicled her experience in her memoir, A Hymn to Life, reflecting on the trauma she endured and her journey towards rebuilding her life. She emphasizes the importance of breaking the silence and seeking support. “If you’re a victim of rape, not only are you [often] ashamed, but you’re also going through an enormous amount of solitude, you feel totally isolated and you mustn’t isolate yourself.”
She credits the outpouring of support she received – thousands of letters from women who had experienced similar trauma – with giving her strength. “They gave me a lot of strength, and I still thank them today.”
Despite the irreparable damage to her life, Pelicot has found a path towards happiness. “This way of operating, this resilience, it’s part of my DNA for sure, because I had rolemodels, my grandmother, my mother, my father, and they always try to stand up straight despite dramas and despite sadness, and I think that they are what made me today.”
In , Pelicot was recognized as a feminist icon and featured in the BBC’s list and the Financial Times’ list of the twenty-five most influential women of the year. She was also appointed a knight of the Legion of Honour on .