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Gisele Pelicot explains why she wanted her husband’s mass rape trial in France held in full public view
Gisele Pelicot, the woman at the center of the mass-rape trial that’s shocked her own country of France and the world, told her husband in court on Wednesday that she still “did not understand why” he had drugged and raped her for nearly a decade, along with dozens of other men he invited into their home.
“My life has crumbled to nothing,” she told the court in Avignon as her husband Dominique hung his head. “I always tried to lift you up. You reached the lowest depths of the human soul — but unfortunately, it was you who made that choice.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to rebuild myself, get over all this,” she said Wednesday. “At almost 72 years old, I don’t know if I have enough life to get back on my feet.”
CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty
Dominique Pelicot has admitted to drugging his wife regularly between 2011 and 2020 so that he and dozens of other men could rape her.
The youngest of the other 49 defendants, Joan K., who was 22 at the time, was absent for the birth of his daughter when one of his alleged assaults was said to have taken place, the French news agency AFP cited prosecutors as saying during the trial.
“It’s not for us to feel shame”
Gisele Pelicot has been revered in France and around the world for insisting the trial be held open to the public – which is not, by default, how sexual assault cases are handled in France.
She said in court Wednesday, according to French newspaper Le Monde, that she wanted the proceedings to be public in the hope that “all women who are victims of rape can say to themselves: ‘Madame Pelicot did it, so we can do it.”‘
“I don’t want them to feel ashamed anymore. It’s not for us to feel shame — it’s for them [sexual attackers],” she said. “Above all, I’m expressing my will and determination to change this society.”
She went into harrowing detail about how her husband had slipped drugs into her food.
ZZIIGG/REUTERS
“We would have a glass of white wine together. I never found anything strange about my potatoes,” she told the court while reportedly refusing to look at Dominique. “We finished eating. Often when it’s a football match on TV, I’d let him watch it alone. He brought my ice cream to my bed, where I was. My favorite flavor — raspberry — and I thought: ‘How lucky I am. He’s a love.'”
“I never felt my heart flutter. I didn’t feel anything. I must have gone under very quickly. I would wake up with my pajamas on,” she said, adding that she would sometimes wake up “more tired than usual, but I walk a lot and thought it was that.”
“I’m trying to understand,” she said, “how this husband, who was the perfect man, could have got to this.”
“No possible defense”
The trial, which is due to continue until Dec. 20, has triggered protests across France. On Saturday, protesters gathered outside dozens of courts to denounce “rape culture” in France.
There’s hope among some demonstrators that the Pelicot case could lead to changes in controversial French laws governing sexual consent.
Until another high-profile rape trial in 1980 triggered a change, the crime of rape in France had been narrowly defined by a Napoleon-era law as “illicit coitus with a woman who is known not to consent,” according to France’s national radio broadcaster RFI.
Only in 2021 did France introduce a legal age of sexual consent — and only after a public outcry over the rape of an 11-year-old schoolgirl by a man who was initially convicted only on the lesser charge of sexual assault.
An adult having sex with anyone under the age of 15 has been viewed as non-consensual since that law was changed. Unlike many European countries, however, French law still does not refer to consent in cases involving older victims.
French law defines rape as penetration or oral sex using “violence, coercion, threat or surprise,” according to the Reuters news agency, but does not take consent into account. Prosecutors must, therefore, prove an intention to rape, legal experts told Reuters.
According to a study by the Institute of Public Policies, just 14% of rape accusations in France lead to formal investigations.
“Why don’t we manage to obtain convictions? The first reason is the law,” legal expert Catherine Le Magueresse told Reuters. “The law is written in such a way that victims must comply with the stereotype of a ‘good victim’ and a ‘true rape’: an unknown attacker, use of violence, and the victim’s resistance. But it is only true for a minority of rapes.”
Lawyers for some of Dominique Pelicot’s 49 alleged accomplices — most of whom have denied the rape charges — have said they thought his wife was asleep, taking part in a fetish act, or that Dominique’s consent was sufficient.
Gisele Pelicot’s testimony on Wednesday was the second time she had addressed the court. She told the chamber in September that she felt “humiliated” by the defendants’ lawyers.
“I’ve been called an alcoholic. I’m said to be Mr Pelicot’s accomplice,” she said, shouting: “Rape is rape!”
Gisele Pelicot was greeted upon her arrival to the court on Wednesday by a crowd offering applause and support, as she has been most days during the trial.
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Gun control is one of the most polarizing issues in American politics, and it’s been a topic of contention in the 2024 presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have been at odds over guns — Trump has told voters Harris “wants to confiscate your guns,” a point Harris denies. She wants to see stronger gun control laws on the books but also says she’s a gun owner. Here are Trump’s and Harris’ stances and policy plans to address gun violence in America.
Kamala Harris’ stance on guns
- Harris says she favors the Second Amendment and said in the Sept. 10 debate with Trump that she owns a gun, a revelation she originally made when she ran for president in In 2019. “I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do — for personal safety,” she said at the time. “I was a career prosecutor.” She recently told 60 Minutes she owns a Glock and has fired it at a shooting range.
- Harris oversees the White House Office of Gun Violence and Prevention, which was created by the Biden administration in 2023 with an eye toward finding ways around congressional inaction on stronger gun control laws.
- The Biden administration in 2022 enacted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in the wake of the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York. It represents the most significant update to gun safety law in almost three decades, augmenting background checks for gun buyers under 21, providing billions for mental health services and closing the so-called “boyfriend loophole” to prevent convicted domestic abusers from purchasing a firearm for five years. It also clarified the definition of gun dealers. The law faces challenges from 26 GOP-led states that are suing to block it.
- Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, also owns a gun and is an avid hunter. He even held an “A” rating from the NRA at one time, but his grade fell to an “F” in 2018, when he backed stricter gun laws in Minnesota following the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. On the campaign trail in October 2024, Walz went hunting with his own Beretta in an appeal to gun owners.
Kamala Harris’ policy plans on guns
- Harris oversees the White House Office of Gun Violence and Prevention, which was created by the Biden administration in 2023 in order to find a way around congressional inaction on stronger gun control laws.
- Her campaign website says if Harris is elected, she would “ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require universal background checks, and support red flag laws that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”
- Though she says she is a Second Amendment advocate, Harris also favors stronger gun control measures. In a speech on Sept. 12, Harris promised to “pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks and red flag laws.”
- While running for president in 2019, Harris vowed to take executive action on guns, saying in April 2019 that she would implement “near-universal” background checks, close loopholes to prevent those convicted of domestic violence from obtaining firearms and revoke licenses from gun manufacturers and dealers who break the law. In Oct. 2019 she said she supported a mandatory gun buyback program, but at the Sept. 10 debate, she told Trump, “We’re not taking anybody’s guns away, so stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.”
Donald Trump’s stance on guns
- Trump “believes that every American has a God-given right to protect themselves and their family and has proven through his actions that he will defend law-abiding gun owners,” his campaign said.
- The NRA endorsed Trump in May at its annual convention, and he has addressed the group several times, including in 2022, shortly after the Uvalde mass shooting.
- Shortly after taking office in 2017, Trump signed a bill that rolled back an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun.
- During a White House listening session with students and families affected by the 2018 Parkland mass shooting, Trump suggested bonuses for teachers who are “adept at guns” and offered support for providing concealed carry permits for teachers or retired military personnel on campus.
- After the Las Vegas mass shooting in Oct. 2017, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms under the Trump administration banned bump stocks, devices that greatly increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons. The ban was later struck down by the Supreme Court.
Donald Trump’s policy plans for guns
- Trump’s campaign said in a statement that he would “terminate every single one of the Harris-Biden’s attacks on law-abiding gun owners his first week in office and stand up for our constitutionally enshrined right to bear arms.”
- He has not spoken on the campaign trail about specific policy proposals on guns. At the NRA’s Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in February, Trump promised that “no one will lay a finger on your firearms” if he wins the election.
- Trump said in the same speech he “did nothing” to restrict guns while he was in the White House, although his administration enacted the 2017 bump stock ban. After the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, he called on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to strengthen and improve the national instant criminal background check system. And after the 2019 mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, Trump reiterated support for “red flag” laws and stronger background checks, although many Second Amendment activists fought the measure, and it was ultimately abandoned later that year.
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If you were looking for a cost-effective way to borrow a large sum of money in recent years, home equity provided the best option. Not only were interest rates lower on home equity loans and home equity lines (HELOCs) than they were on most popular alternatives, but both provided a way to access a six-figure sum that others often couldn’t provide. And now, with one interest rate cut already issued by the Federal Reserve in September and additional ones likely for when it meets again in November and December, both products are poised to be even cheaper for borrowers in the final weeks of 2024.
That noted, home equity borrowing comes with some inherent risks, and borrowers will need to be careful to only withdraw what they’re comfortable repaying or they could risk their homeownership in the process. Understanding this, as well as the dynamics of borrowing home equity in today’s changing rate climate, borrowers should know some important home equity loan dos and don’ts going into November. Below, we’ll break down four of them.
See what home equity loan rate you could secure here now.
Home equity loan dos and don’ts to know this November
Home equity loan borrowing has some timely benefits and disadvantages that can affect your approach. This November, borrowers should specifically consider the following steps:
Do: Choose a HELOC over a home equity loan
Sure, a HELOC has a slightly higher rate than a home equity loan does right now (8.69% versus the latter’s 8.36%). But if you lock in that home equity loan rate now and rates fall as expected, you’ll need to refinance (and pay to refinance) to secure that lower rate. HELOCs, meantime, will simply adjust on their own, lowering your monthly payments as long as interest rates continue to decline.
Explore your best HELOC options online now.
Don’t: Wait for rates to fall
For starters, if you wait for rates to fall, you’ll delay paying the expenses you need the financing for. And if it’s to consolidate high-rate debt, for example, that will come at a cost. But, just as importantly, waiting for rates to fall is a risky move. There’s no guarantee that they will fall or, if they do, by how much. Plus, home equity loan rates don’t move directly in tandem with the federal funds rate anyway. So even if rates were to be cut by 25 basis points, it’s unlikely that home equity loan rates will drop by the same amount.
Do: Shop for lenders
With rates on the decline, it’s more important than usual to shop around for lenders. While most will offer a rate in the approximate same range, every basis point helps. Some lenders, for example, may be more proactive in terms of pricing in presumed rate cuts while others may closely follow the Fed. You won’t know which approach each takes, however, until you shop around.
Don’t: Miss out on certain dates
As noted, some lenders will preemptively price in rate cuts before they’re formally issued. And this often takes place when data that could affect the Fed’s actions is released. So don’t miss out on certain dates in November, like November 7, when unemployment data for October is released. That’s also the date the Fed is set to conclude its next meeting. But keep an eye out for October inflation data, too, which could set the stage for the Fed’s actions in December (scheduled to be released on November 13).
The bottom line
If you’re looking for a way to access large sums of money in a cost-effective way, home equity borrowing can be the smart way to do so this November. Just be sure to take a strategic approach when you do. This means choosing a HELOC over a home equity loan, not waiting for rates to fall and shopping around for lenders to find one offering the best rates and terms. And be sure to monitor certain upcoming dates for opportunities to capitalize on the cooling rate climate.
Have more questions? Learn more about your current home equity loan options here.