Good morning! A group of women investors saved a brand from collapse, billionaires back Kamala Harris, and Gisele Pelicot's case in France could change society for generations of women. Have a peaceful weekend.
- Pelicot's power. This week, Gisele Pelicot took the stand in France. If you haven't followed her case, consider this a trigger warning: the details are, put simply, horrifying.
Pelicot, 72, discovered that her husband of 50 years had over a period of 10 years drugged her and raped her—and invited 50 other men he met in an online chatroom to their house to do the same. He filmed the encounters, which was how police and Pelicot discovered what had happened. Dominique Pelicot has admitted to those actions; some of his co-defendants have denied allegations of rape, saying they thought they were participating in a consensual sexual fantasy or that Gisele Pelicot was pretending to be asleep—or even that her husband's consent was enough.
Typically, a victim in this kind of case would be anonymous—but Pelicot asked for the trial to be public. And when she spoke to the court this week, she explained why. "I’ve decided not to be ashamed, I’ve done nothing wrong," she said. "They [rapists] are the ones who must be ashamed,” she added.
To the people who call her brave for that choice, she said that bravery is not behind her decision. "It’s will and determination to change society," she said.
And changing society, she is. France never fully reckoned with the #MeToo movement, with many dismissing it as an American feminist phenomenon at the time. But now, thousands have protested across France to tighten rape laws and improve how such cases are handled by the judicial system. Pelicot's case has made clear that "rapists could be everyone,” as one expert told NPR. Not only did Dominique Pelicot deceive his wife—it was easy for him to find dozens of other men to participate near their home in southeastern France. The men ranged in age from 26 to 74, and included a nurse, a journalist, farmworkers, a soldier, and a local councillor, the Guardian reports. Pelicot has expressed sympathy for the wives and mothers of the other 50 co-defendants in this case who must also reckon with these men's actions. The trial is expected to run through late December.
Societal changes that came before this case, too, were crucial in catching these predators. A 2018 law cracked down on sexual harassment and made taking "upskirt" photos illegal; police caught Dominique Pelicot taking photos up women's skirts in 2020 and searched his home afterward, where they found videos of these rapes.
No matter how much Pelicot changes society, the case is still devastating. “I am a woman who is totally destroyed," she told the court. "I don’t know how I’m going to rebuild myself. I’m 72 soon and I’m not sure my life will be long enough to recover from this."
Yet she will likely have a lasting impact on generations of women. She said: “I wanted all woman victims of rape...I want those women to say: Mrs. Pelicot did it, we can do it too. When you’re raped there is shame, and it’s not for us to have shame, it’s for them.”
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Today’s edition was curated by Nina Ajemian. Subscribe here.
