For more than a decade Gisèle Pelicot went to sleep thinking she was in a safe, loving marriage. But when her then husband was arrested she discovered the truth – at night he had been drugging her, so that he could film more than 80 other men allegedly raping her. The trial of Dominique Pelicot and 50 others has horrified France and the world. But the bravery of Gisèle, who has waived her anonymity to raise awareness of violence against women and show that rape survivors have nothing to be ashamed of, has seen her praised for her courage.

Angelique Chrisafis has been in the courtroom and visited the quiet Provence town where the Pelicots lived. She explains how Dominique Pelicot found no difficulty in finding and recruiting men in an online chatroom.

Helen Pidd hears how Gisèle Pelicot’s courage and dignity has led women across France to rally behind her and try and change what they call rape culture. From graffiti to daily vigils outside the court, French women have been showing their disgust at her treatment and insisting that change must come.

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