At the Mazan rapes trial in Avignon, the public prosecutor has demanded the maximum sentence for the main defendant Dominique Pelicot. The sentence is to be handed down in December. The plaintiff Gisèle Pelicot, celebrated as a heroine by many, had demanded that the proceedings be open to the public and that the videos of the crimes be shown. The shock waves reverberate beyond France, as a glance at the press shows.
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Shame and responsibility must switch sides
The French National Assembly is currently debating a tightening of the criminal law on sexual offences. Der Standard hopes for real change:
“While the number of cases of sexual violence under the influence of knockout drops is increasing, rape is often not recognised as such in court because too often the behaviour of the victim is still the focus of attention. … In rape cases it is often a matter of one person’s word against the other’s, but the onus of proving that one tried to defend oneself is on the victim. A regulation based on the principle ‘yes means yes’ would bring about a change in perspective. ‘Shame must switch sides,’ Gisèle Pelicot demanded. And so must responsibility.”
Don’t conceal the pain
The taz warns against portraying Gisèle Pelicot only as a courageous heroine:
“Her courage comes at a price. A price paid by Gisèle Pelicot alone. ‘When you see me like this, you think: This woman is strong,’ she said in court. ‘But inside, it’s a wasteland.’ … Europe and the world are in the midst of an anti-feminist backlash and violence against women is escalating. Women’s rights activists finally seem to want a counter-narrative, a symbol of fighting back. However, they remain silent about one central aspect of survival: the pain. If Pelicot can deal with this as aggressively as she did with her court case, her supporters should do the same. Otherwise, they simply won’t do justice to this extraordinary woman.”