At her new home on Île de Ré off France’s Atlantic coast, Gisèle Pelicot enjoys invigorating beach walks in any weather, blasts classical music, savors fine chocolate, and sets the breakfast table each evening as a morning ritual. “It’s my way of putting myself in a good mood when I wake up: the cups are out already, I just need to put the kettle on,” she explains.
A Treasured Collection of Letters
One of her most cherished items is a box of letters from around the world, addressed simply to her name and her former village in Provence. These arrived at the Avignon courthouse in late 2024 during the public trial of her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and dozens of men he invited to rape her while drugged unconscious. For nearly a decade, he crushed sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs into her food, such as mashed potatoes, coffee, or ice cream. In an online chatroom named “Without her knowledge,” he recruited men to assault her in their Mazan home.
“I’m looking for a pervert accomplice to abuse my wife who’s been put to sleep,” read one of his messages. Pelicot, 73, waived anonymity to spotlight drug-facilitated abuse, known as “chemical submission” in France. The trial drew global attention and inspired women from Spain to the US to share their stories.
“I have all the letters in a beautiful box,” Pelicot says from her literary agent’s Paris office, accompanied by her new partner, Jean-Loup, a retired Air France steward. They appear joyful. After police revealed in 2020 that her ex-husband—arrested for upskirting—had raped her while sedated, she retreated to France’s west coast with two suitcases and their bulldog, Lancôme.
Finding Love Again
She forged friendships through walks, leading to her romance with Jean-Loup, who cared for his late wife. “Neither of us had ever thought we’d fall in love again,” she notes. “He’s a very beautiful person. We met and fell in love. We couldn’t have foreseen that. And we’re really happy today. It has changed our lives. So you see, hope is allowed.”
During the trial, they read letters nightly as a ritual, opening them respectfully. “Each time, on reading them, tears would flow, because there was a lot of suffering,” she recalls. Some remain unread due to their pain, but she plans to preserve them for her grandchildren and hopes they inspire future generations to end sexual violence.
From Childhood Tragedy to Family Life
A former logistics manager at France’s state electricity company and grandmother of seven, Pelicot launches an international tour for her memoir, A Hymn to Life, focusing on hope and introspection. Born in 1952 in a German garrison town, she recalls her mother’s hidden brain tumor and early death at age nine in Indre.
“For me, she was sleeping. But when I saw my father close her eyes, and start crying, he was really devastated by grief,” she shares. A verbally abusive stepmother followed, but at 19, she met shy electrician Dominique in her mother’s village. They built a life together despite family secrets.
Pelicot long battled insomnia, linking sleep to death after losing her mother, father, and brother young. Post-trauma, she sleeps peacefully, accepting mortality. From 2011, she suffered blackouts, memory loss, and gynecological issues, consulting doctors with her supportive husband—who was drugging her.
The Calculated Abuse
His drug mixtures, advised online by a former nurse, included muscle relaxants for positioning her body. “It was really a kind of general anaesthetic,” she says. “And all done with drugs you could have to hand in a medicine cabinet at home.” He undressed, abused, and redressed her in pajamas seamlessly.
Their Provence retirement seemed idyllic: poolside games, family visits. “He was loved by everyone… That’s what is so terrifying,” Pelicot reflects. Subtle red flags emerged, like discarded odd-tasting cocktails or bleach on clothes, but she dismissed suspicions after his tears.
The Public Trial and Justice
Insisting on a public trial, Pelicot exposed systemic issues. All 51 men were convicted of rape, attempted rape, or assault. Viewing “Abuse” videos was harrowing: “When you see that body, that rag doll… I put myself at a distance from that sedated woman.”
Defendants, from soldiers to nurses, often denied intent, claiming consent via her husband. “They were so casual… as if they were there for snatching a handbag,” she observes. The trial highlighted societal denial, echoing cases like Jeffrey Epstein’s.
Women’s daily courthouse support bolstered her. Character witnesses, including ex-police for one convict, underscored patriarchal biases. “It says a lot about our macho… society,” she states. Shame must shift to perpetrators.
Family Impact and Ongoing Questions
The case strained family ties; her ex-husband also abused their daughter Caroline’s images and sons’ wives. Caroline, 46, alleges drugging and rape in her 30s, denied by him. “It blew everything apart,” Pelicot says. She plans a prison visit for answers.
Police probe 1990s incidents, including a denied 1991 murder. About 20 unidentified rapists remain free, raising fears of copycats. The trial spurred consent law changes and discussions on drug-assisted rape.
“Although it’s good to change laws, I think above all you have to change mentalities,” she urges, emphasizing education in respect.
Recovery and Advocacy
A 2020 supermarket guard’s alertness and officer’s probe ended the abuse. Pelicot recovered: no memory issues, weight regained, STIs treated. She comforts other survivors, drawing from childhood resilience: “I built myself up as a little tin soldier of joy.”
Future goals include addressing law students on victim treatment. “Now I can allow myself to be happy for the years I have left,” she concludes.
