Gisèle Pelicot is a now-famous French grandmother who took her husband of 50 years to court for drugging and raping her, and soliciting dozens of other men to rape her. Gisèle chose to waive anonymity during the recent trial — which meant that her assaults, private life, family history, and emotional processing became public; in December her husband Dominique was sentenced to 20 years for aggravated rape, and 49 other men were sentenced to three to 15 years for raping or sexually assaulting her.
She’s become a model of bravery in France, and elsewhere, for bringing attention to chemical submission and horrific sex crimes. Dominique would administer anxiolytics to his wife before raping and allowing others who he met online to rape her. Although Gisèle had memory loss and gynecological problems during the ten-year period her husband abused her, doctors at the time were unable to identify signs that could point to sexual violence. Her case brought into the spotlight the complexities that surround accusing and convicting an individual of drug-induced sexual assault.
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