A man convicted of raping a student in Bordeaux three years ago will have his appeal heard by a court in Angoulême on Monday, reports The Times.
Océane Décan, the victim, a graduate of Sciences Po Bordeaux, the elite French political studies institute, who is in her twenties, could have asked for a hearing behind closed doors. But she has not done so.
“I decided that the hearing should be public because, as Gisèle Pelicot says, shame must change sides,” she told 20 Minutes, the French newspaper.
Violaine de Filippis, a feminist lawyer and joint founder of Action Juridique Féministe, which offers legal advice to victims of sexual violence, says the case in Angoulême illustrates the impact of Gisèle Pelicot on French society.
The grandmother, aged 72, could also have chosen to keep the trial in Avignon behind closed doors. Her decision to throw it open not only exposed her husband and his fellow defendants to the glare of publicity, it generated a debate that is rippling through French society, from parliament to homes and workplaces.
“I see a lot of victims of sexual violence who identify with Gisèle Pelicot,” said de Filippis. “They say, ‘If she can do it, we can do it too’. They often talk about her. They say she has given them courage.”
The lawyer said some victims had been inspired by Gisèle Pelicot to file a lawsuit against their attackers where they might not otherwise have done so. Others say her example has convinced them to refuse to have hearings behind closed doors.
De Filippis said Gisèle Pelicot’s influence had reached as far as parliament. “There are a lot of initiatives being taken by MPs and senators who want things to change,” she said, adding that she herself had given evidence before a Senate committee on preventing repeat sexual offending this week.