Mass rape sparks debate

The co-defendants on trial in Avignon until December are aged 26 to 74.

The trial of a man who drugged his wife to have her raped by dozens of strangers for almost a decade has ignited a quiet discussion around masculinity in France.

During court hearings, Dominique Pelicot, 71, has admitted to administering sedatives to his wife to rape her while unconscious and inviting strangers into their home to join in the abuse from 2011 to 2020.

The trial, which began this month, has horrified people in France, particularly because Pelicot's 50 co-defendants include seemingly normal men with families and ordinary jobs.

His then wife, 71-year-old Gisele Pelicot, has become an overnight feminist icon by refusing to be ashamed and demanding the trial be open to the public to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse.

Thousands of people, including some men, took to the streets in mid-September to support her and demand an end to "rape culture".

Several high-profile men have also publicly suggested it is in fact masculinity that is on trial and urged their peers to help stem the violence.