Years of nightmare: woman fights against rapists in court!

An incredible case of years of violence and sexual exploitation shakes Europe. In a monumental process around Gisèle Pelicot, the main defendant, Dominique Pelicot, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after stunning his wife over almost a whole decade and offering dozens of men for rape. All other defendants, in total 50 other men, were also spoken guilty of sexual violence. This case not only caused a sensation in France, but also worldwide, since he puts the urgent questions about domestic violence and the protection of victims into the spotlight, as the Tagesschau

In a parallel case in Austria, the regional court is negotiated before the regional court on the offenses of a 41-year-old man, who is said to have forced his wife for sexual intercourse for over twelve years. This grotesque balance sheet results in more than 400 rapes accompanied by threats and physical attacks. The fear of the husband was silent for years. In the event of a guilty verdict, the court could impose up to ten years in prison, a further step in the hard -conducted examination of sexualized violence, as orf Salzburg reported.

The struggle for justice

In the process of Gisèle Pelicot, who has come into the focus of the public due to the severity of the indictment and the number of accused, the woman brave the procedure courageously and fearfully and was cheered by supporters in front of the courtroom. Her speech to other victims of sexual violence, in which she emphasized that she was leading the same fight, gives hope and strength. With her openness, Gisèle Pelicot himself has contributed to raising awareness of the problem of violence against women and could encourage other victims to also defend themselves.

These two cases are part of an alarming reality that indicates a broad social problem that is increasingly and more into public both in France and Austria. It is an urgent need to hear the victims of such crimes and to be a voice for them.