Husband Drugs Wife, Invites Men To Rape Her - New York Times Gift Article Link 👇
The husband and 50 men are on trial in France now for rapes committed over a 10 year period.
READ OR LISTEN THE FULL STORY HERE
Gisèle Pelicot spoke of the horror of being told by the police that they had evidence her husband had drugged her for years and brought men into their home to join him in raping her.
~ Catherine Porter reported from the courthouse in Avignon, France
Under French rules, Ms. Pelicot, 71, could have avoided letting the trial play out in the public eye and chosen to keep it behind closed doors. Instead, she decided it was important for all of France to hear her story and to place the shame on the accused men, rather than on her.
I’m sharing this article because this brave woman’s story needs to be told. She could be your mother, your grandmother, your aunt, or perhaps you or me. The rapists could be your father, your brother, your grandfather, your uncle:
There are so many men on trial that the court had to build a second glass box in the courtroom for those in custody. They include firemen, soldiers, truck drivers, an IT expert. They range in age from 26 to 74. Many are in stable relationships and have children.
This is one of the most heinous crimes I have ever heard of. It takes the term “rape culture” to a disgusting new low.
Rape is 100% a hate crime and needs to be prosecuted as such. Those men should be shot like rabid dogs.
Sadly, far worse does happen to women. Remember the Yazidi women who were captured and sold repeatedly as sex slaves and the world barely responded? Young women are brutalized and murdered in theocracies and the world doesn’t respond. (More about this below.)
Examples must be made. None of these beasts can claim ignorance about consent. In my mind, the husband committed such an egregious crime that only one punishment is acceptable. The others should never live another free day in their lives.
Anyone who can do something like this is a beast, not a husband. And yet, anyone with an internet connection can watch things such as this and worse as entertainment because someone “consents.” Some “consensual” behavior crosses a line and normalizes the behavior. I don’t understand the logic of how we can have it both ways, as criminal behavior and as consensual entertainment.
My heart goes out to this woman and her children. How can any of them ever trust any man again? How can this woman cope with knowing what happened to her and the STDs she suffers from? I can’t imagine how she will deal with the knowledge of such an unspeakable betrayal.
I have a second cousin who was battered by her husband for years. (I heard about this when I was a small child.) The neighbors knew about it. The police knew about it. Finally, when she could bear it no more, she waited for him to come home from work while she sat in a chair in front of the entry door while holding his hunting rifle. When he walked through the door, she shot him dead. There were no charges against her and the police barely even questioned her. They knew her actions were justified and I suspect they felt shame at their own inaction.
At least she felt a sense of closure and of not being a helpless victim in dealing with a situation no one else would help her with. The woman who was gang raped will not have that sense of closure.
I also must remind people about the fate of women in northern Iraq when ISIS captured and sold them repeatedly as sex slaves, an allowable act in certain faith communities. When no one came to their assistance, Yazidi women received training and arms to kill the bastards and made sure their prey knew women were killing them. In that faith community, a man killed in combat by a woman will not enter paradise, which added extra poignancy to their deaths.
To all my oppressed sisters around the world, I pray that you find strength, solidarity, and help from those of us who are your allies to bring down the wrath and fury your oppressors deserve. Make them pay. You are strong enough.