The conviction of Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men for the aggravated rape of his wife Gisèle Pelicot, perpetrated over years of horrific violence has been shocking. Their trial revealed that Dominique Pelicot recruited men to rape his wife while she was comatose, having been drugged by him.
Gisèle Pelicot has become a symbol of strength and courage, having waived her right to anonymity at the start of the trial. In doing so, she focused the attention squarely on her attackers.
But while the details of these crimes are extreme, we can only fully learn from them if we accept that describing Dominique Pelicot as a monster is to minimise a wider culture that enables violence against women.
