How a shocking case reignited France’s #MeToo movement
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What is the shocking case that reignited France's #MeToo movement?
And a warning, the segment has descriptions of sexual abuse. Any day now, judges will hand down verdicts for dozens of men accused of raping Gisele Pelico. She stunned the world by rejecting her right to anonymity and demanding a public trial for her now ex-husband Dominique and at least 50 other people allegedly involved. She said she wants to show the world that survivors shouldn't be ashamed of abuse. Police say Pelico's ex-husband, over the course of about a decade, repeatedly invited men to their home to rape her after he drugged her with sleeping pills, leaving her unconscious. He arranged the abuse in chat rooms with men between the ages of 26 and 74 from all walks of life. Police identified dozens of suspects from footage of the abuse her husband collected, but authorities believe more than 70 men were involved. Authorities started looking into the husband after he was caught filming up women's skirts in public. It was only until that incident was investigated that Pelico came to learn what happened to her. For years, she had been confused about strange symptoms.
Losing her hair, losing weight, losing her memories. She says entire days would just disappear. She thought she might have Alzheimer's. Here is some of her testimony, translated by the BBC, about the day police notified her.
It was hard to recognize myself. Then the officer showed me a second photo and a third. My world fell apart. I'm speaking now not for myself, but for all the women who are drugged and abused.
What does Gisèle Pelicot's testimony reveal about her experience?
Pelko has received apologies from some of the defendants, including her ex-husband, who confessed to everything. Others say they're innocent. If convicted, these men face sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years in prison. To understand where the case could go next, it's important to know how France defines consent.
Consent is really a contested gray area in France. The French law defines rape as an act of sexual penetration committed by violence, coercion, threat, or surprise. And so Giselle's case falls into that surprise category.
How does French law define consent in sexual assault cases?
That's Alex English with Marie Claire. She told us during the trial, some of the defendants made the argument that they were told she had consented.
because they weren't a stranger in a dark car park, because they didn't have a knife, because they didn't hold her down, do all these stereotypical movie Hollywood type ideas of rape. So all these men could get up there and go, well, I didn't mean to do that. That wasn't my intention. I thought she was part of this. And then they're protected in that way.
The trial has sparked debate in France over whether the country's legal definition of rape does enough to recognize the role of consent. Last year, French Parliament considered adopting an EU resolution which would create a standard definition and punishment for rape across all member states. That failed. But more recently, French officials, including the president and the justice minister, have said they support amending the legal language.
Women's rights activists and lawmakers have been trying to amend that wording to say that sex without consent is rape and also that consent can be withdrawn at any time. And then on top of that, that there are certain mental and physical states that a person can be in where they cannot be considered to be giving consent.
What are the implications of the legal definition of rape in France?
So, you know, having drunken too much, being in a poor mental state, things like that.
Whether that legal wording changes or not, the trial has shaken France. This is a country where the MeToo movement struggled to find footing. But in recent years, that's started to shift. A number of French women actors have filed lawsuits against male directors alleging abuse.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the shocking case that reignited France's #MeToo movement?
0:39–2:15
2
What does Gisèle Pelicot's testimony reveal about her experience?
2:15–2:50
3
How does French law define consent in sexual assault cases?
2:50–3:58
4
What are the implications of the legal definition of rape in France?
3:58–5:36
5
How has the #MeToo movement evolved in France?
5:36–6:57
6
What are President-elect Trump's plans for federal jobs in D.C.?
6:57–7:58
7
What challenges did Trump's previous attempts at relocating federal jobs face?
7:58–12:43
Speakers
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