麻豆社

In the seemingly idyllic village of Mazan in the south of France, a woman in her 60s was being raped by dozens of men over the course of almost ten years - all unbeknown to her and at the invitation of her husband, who had sedated her to the point of unconsciousness, by putting drugs in her food. He found the men online, and admitted his guilt.

The husband, Dominique Pelicot, and fifty other men have now faced justice for these rapes in a trial that has shocked many in France, and has raised awareness of issues like consent, and the use of drugs to rape people. The victim, Gisele Pelicot, waived her right to anonymity and has become a feminist hero, not least for her stance arguing that it is the rapists who should be ashamed, not her.

麻豆社 Paris correspondent Andrew Harding has been to Mazan, and has been following the trial in the nearby city of Avignon. In this programme, he asks what this case tells us about France, and whether in the age of the internet, these crimes could be happening anywhere.

Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Producers in France: Paul Pradier and Marianne Baisnee
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound engineer: Neva Missirian
Editor: Penny Murphy

Photo of Gisele Pelicot by YOAN VALAT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Audio of President Emmanuel Macron: C a vous, France TV