Shocking rape trial highlights the systematic struggles French sexual abuse victims face

Associated Press

AVIGNON, France (AP) — The trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose husband repeatedly drugged her has highlighted the difficulties that sexual violence victims can face in France. Seventy-one-year-old Dominique Pelicot and his 50 co-defendants each face up to 20 years in prison if they’re convicted at a trial that has riveted the French public. Although Pelicot has admitted that the allegations against him are true and police seized videos he shot of the alleged rapes, defense lawyers have scrutinized his ex-wife’s private life and motives, even questioning whether she was truly unconscious in certain videos. Their tactics have outraged advocates for the sexually abused, who say the attorneys show that victim-blaming is alive and well in France.