Thousands of people gathered this Saturday in various cities of France to demand the approval of new legislation against gender violence which incorporates the concept of consent, recently highlighted by the case of Gisèle Pelicotwho She was raped in an unconscious state by at least 51 individuals, including her ex-husband.
As the trial, with great media coverage, approaches its final phase – with the last arguments scheduled for next week before the sentence on December 20 -, more than 400 associations decided to advance the trial by two days. World Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and called for demonstrations in several cities in France.
The demonstration in Paris was the largest. During the protest, it was reported that a rape is committed every six minutes in France, which only 0.5% of these crimes result in convictionsand that is recorded a feminicide every three days.
Likewise, the associations have expressed their discomfort at the insufficient financial resources aimed at combating gender violence in France and have demanded the creation of a comprehensive law similar to the Spanish one, which includes, among others, the existence of specialized courts.
The activist Sophie Truchotone of the founders of Why the feminism (why the feminism?), stated in an interview with the BFMTV channel that the trial against the 51 accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot has revealed the urgent need to include consent clearly in the legal framework.
Sophie Truchot: “Consent must be included explicitly in legislation”
“One of the pretexts used by the defendants was to claim that they did not know whether Ms. Pelicot consented. Although it is a fairly weak argument, given the evidence presented, it demonstrates the importance of including consent explicitly in the legislation” Truchot declared.
France seeks to reform the law to include consent
A parliamentary mission from the French National Assembly is working until the end of the year on a proposal to include consent within the criminal definition of rape, which until now only covers acts of “violence, pressure, threat or surprise”, without making explicit mention.
However, a reform of the current legal framework has generated divisions between jurists, feminist associations, parliamentarians and magistrates. The Minister of Justice of France, Didier Migaudhas expressed support for including consent in legislation.
This notion has gained relevance since the trial for the rapes of Gisèle Pelicot will begin in September, which is holding its last hearings in Avignonin the south of France.
Gisèle Pelicot: “The scar will never close”
The events that were tried occurred between 2011 and 2020, during which Gisèle Pelicot was drugged with high doses of anxiolytics managed by her then husband, Dominicwithout their knowledge. These substances left her in a state of unconsciousness that prevented her from remembering what happened.
From his residence in the town of Mazán, her ex-husband contacted other men through an online platform dedicated to sexual encounters and invited them to his home to rape Gisèle Pelicot. Dominique Pelicot recorded and photographed the rapesand these records have become the main evidence presented by the prosecution.
During the almost three months of the trial, which Gisèle Pelicot requested to be held publicly and which was attended by 165 media, moving statements were heard from the Pelicots’ three children and the victim herself. Gisèle Pelicot, who this week stated that “the scar will never close“, he stressed: “I have lost ten years of my life that I will never get back.”
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