Content note: the following story contains references to sexual assault and rape.

In a trial that shocked France and the rest of the world, Dominique Pelicot has been found guilty of drugging his now ex-wife Gisèle and recruiting strangers to rape her over a period of many years. On 19 December, Dominique was handed a sentence of 20 years imprisonment – the maximum sentence for rape in France – for his crimes against his wife. He was also found guilty of aggravated rape and taking indecent images of his daughter and his daughters-in-law.

Alongside Dominique, 50 other men were sentenced. The court found 46 men guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault. The longest sentence of these was 15 years, which was handed to Romain Vandevelde.

During the sentencing, protests took place outside the courtroom in Avignon calling for ‘justice for Gisèle Pelicot’. The case has also been covered widely by media outlets in France and across the world.

Throughout the trial, Gisèle (who waived her right to anonymity) has become a figure of the fight against sexual violence in France, with her case attracting huge amounts of attention, protest and renewed conversation around how rape and sexual assault are dealt with in the country. Discussing her decision to waive her right to anonymity, she told the court she wanted women to feel inspired and able to take a stand against sexual violence and know that “it’s not for us to have shame – it’s for them”. She said: “I wanted all woman victims of rape – not just when they have been drugged, rape exists at all levels – I want those women to say: Mrs Pelicot did it, we can do it too.”

Images: Getty