Shame must go back to sender

Between the years 2011 and 2020, a French woman named Gisele Pelicot was sedated on multiple occasions by her husband Dominique Pelicot, who would invite a total of 72 men to rape her as he filmed the crimes.

- SHARANYA MANIVANNAN

These assaults became known to the police when they investigated him for taking upskirt videos at a supermarket in 2020. Since then, Gisele Pelicot has become the central figure in a court case that has rocked France.

For someone who so recently had to come to terms with a history of violence that she wasn't even aware was happening to her (even though she was experiencing numerous trauma-related symptoms), she has shown incredible courage in taking on and testifying in such a high-profile case.

"The shame isn't ours to feel; it's theirs," she has been quoted as saying in court.