France’s landmark mass rape case is over. But the Pelicot case shows that systemic violence against women runs deep

CNN
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It is the landmark trial that has turned French society upside down and prompted deep soul-searching about sexual violence and consent: the Pelicot mass-rape case.

Many have called it a sociocultural earthquake, a reckoning with France’s systemic problem with women. At the epicenter of the trial are 51 men, all of whom lived within a 30 kilometer radius of each other. There was Dominique Pelicot at the helm, drugging and inviting the strangers to assault and rape his then-wife, Gisèle, for over a decade.

It was in this small geographic perimeter that a whole world of violence and misogyny existed.

On Thursday, hundreds of people packed an emotional courtroom in Avignon, with many spilling out of the courthouse to hear the fate of the accused whose actions had not only changed the lives of Gisèle and her family, but also the nation.

49 of the men were convicted of rape. Two were convicted of sexual assault. Four of the men were also convicted of possessing images of child sexual abuse.

The men were “Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde” or “Mr. Everyman,” as they have been called—not career criminals. The men, aged 26 to 74, worked in nursing, the military, journalism and the prison system, among other jobs.

But despite the overwhelming evidence against them, hundreds of damning videos showing the rapes and thousands of text messages their plans, only a dozen of the men admitted guilt, and many said they believed Dominique’s – not Gisèle’s – consent. was enough to carry out their crimes.

The horror of the crimes, combined with the idea that they were carried out by “Mr. Everyman,” has pushed forward a national conversation about the normalization of sexual assault.

Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum for his crime. The other men received prison terms of between three and 15 years. Some, meanwhile, have walked free after completing suspended sentences.

Many say the sentences are not harsh enough, that they do not take into account the horrors of the crime. And despite the prison sentences, without any concrete changes, the women in Mazan – the southern French village where the crimes took place – say they could still happen again tomorrow.

“What has really changed? The mentality hasn’t changed and neither have the laws, it remains the same and that’s why we don’t feel safe,” said Nedeljka Macan, a resident of Mazan.

Gisèle hoped that by renouncing her anonymity – and therefore opening the trial to the public – she would help change rape culture, however painful it was to see the harrowing evidence of her abuse.

“It was a choice to make it public. And she has done that in the service of other women,” Sarah McGrath of Women for Women France told CNN.

It was that service, courage and defiance that transformed her into a feminist hero, one determined to make “shame change sides.”

“Quite often internationally, France can have a sort of reputation for being really progressive when it comes to women’s rights,” McGrath said. “And that’s the case, we’ve just got, you know, the right to abortion put into the constitution, which is a big step forward. But when it comes to sexist and sexual violence, we’re really lagging behind our other European neighbors.”

Data shows that survivors of sexual violence do not tend to come forward in France. Only 10% of rape victims themselves report the crime to the legal system. And of those reports, only 1 to 4% result in a conviction, McGrath said.

Gisèle Pelicot has now inspired precisely these victims to stand up and push for change. The past three months have spurred people across France to introspect and to consider what constitutes consent. The trial has forced them to discuss rape culture and how to change it.

Although the trial will mark French history, campaigners and lawyers have stressed that it does not mark the end of an ugly chapter in time; but rather the beginning of a new era where consent is taught in schools and inserted into the criminal code.

Women’s rights activists are riding the wave of Gisèle’s call to action – and optimism.

As she left the courthouse Thursday, she said the trial showed her that a “future where women and men can live in harmony and mutual respect” is indeed achievable.

It is up to France to seize this moment and make it a reality.

CNN’s Kara Fox contributed to this report.