Crime and shame: On the France mass rape case  

The horrors will never go away, and a survivor has got only a semblance of closure after a French court sentenced her former husband to 20 years in prison for committing and orchestrating mass rapes of her for almost a decade. The 72-year-old man admitted in court that he had drugged the survivor , 72, for years, before raping her, and recruiting strangers online to violate her as she was deeply asleep. In all, 51 people, aged between the late 20s and 70s, assaulted her as she lay in a drug-induced stupor, and have got away with punishment ranging from three to 15 years, less than the terms sought by prosecutors. The evidence, photographs and films, was stored in the man’s computer and shown in court to shocking disbelief; the crime itself unravelled in 2020 after he was being probed for another misdemeanour, filming women inappropriately. But in all this, the survivor’s brave stand — to waive anonymity and requesting a public trial — and boldly stating that “it is not us who should feel shame, but them”, struck a chord. People all across France, and the world, have followed the over three-month trial, marched on the streets and held demonstrations to seek changes in law for sexual crimes against women, and also the overturning of societal perceptions and toxic patriarchal behaviour.

She said she had led the fight for her daughters and grandchildren and also “unrecognised victims whose stories often remain in the shadows”. She hoped that by opening the doors of the trial, and despite her ordeal, “society could take hold of the debates that took place there”. Her case has sparked fierce debates on abuse and the aftermath. Under French law, the maximum penalty for rape is 20 years, and rights activists have pointed out that the punishment is simply not enough for ruining a life. In a majority of cases, complaints of sexual abuse and rapes are not reported and prosecuted. France is not the only violator. The United Nations says violence against women remains one of the most prevalent human rights violations, and that globally, an estimated 736 million women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence. The survivor held out hope and confidence that society will “collectively seize a future in which each woman and man can live in harmony with respect and mutual understanding”. But first, her words should be heeded, and rape charges must never be trivialised. She has helped break the silence and the shame around rape; the onus is on society and law-makers to shatter the stigma and impunity attached to sexual abuse.