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September 11, 2026Short & citedBlog
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Civic Brief • Victim

Gisèle Pelicot

Gisèle Pelicot is a French woman known for publicly identifying herself as the victim in the Mazan rape case, also called the Pelicot case.

Updated September 11, 20261 min readCited sources

Gisèle Pelicot is a French woman who became internationally known after waiving anonymity as the victim in the Mazan rape case, a landmark sexual-violence trial in France.

What it is

Gisèle Pelicot, born 7 December 1952 in Villingen, Germany, is a retired French executive. She is the central victim in the Mazan rape case, where she was drugged and repeatedly raped between 2011 and 2020, allegedly orchestrated by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot.

Why it matters

By waiving anonymity, Pelicot became a symbol in discussions of sexual violence and victim stigma. The trial drew major international attention, including in Canadian media, as a landmark case for sexual-violence law and victim rights.

Key details

In December 2024, Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and all other accused men were convicted. Pelicot's decision to be publicly identified was widely praised as a stand against victim shaming.

In short

  • Gisèle Pelicot is the victim in the Mazan rape case, a major French sexual-violence trial.
  • She waived anonymity, becoming a global symbol against victim stigma.
  • Her ex-husband and dozens of other men were convicted in December 2024.
Canadian angle

Canadian readers encountered the case through extensive international coverage, including Canadian media reporting on the Mazan trial and its broader implications for sexual-violence law and victim anonymity. [13]

Quick questions

Who is Gisèle Pelicot?
She is a French woman and the victim in the Mazan rape case, known for waiving anonymity during the trial.
What happened to Gisèle Pelicot?
She was drugged and repeatedly raped between 2011 and 2020, allegedly in a scheme by her husband and other men.
How old is Gisèle Pelicot?
Born 7 December 1952, she is 73 years old as of July 2026.

Sources

  1. French Wikipedia — https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gis%C3%A8le_Pelicot
    Supports: Birth name, birthplace, nationality, and identification as victim in the Mazan rape case.
  2. Voici — https://www.voici.fr/bios-people/gisele-pelicot
    Supports: Birth date and account of the abuse and the 2024 convictions.
  3. English Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gis%C3%A8le_Pelicot
    Supports: Birth date, public identification, and summary of the abuse case.
  4. Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gisele-Pelicot
    Supports: Biographical overview, public identification, and case summary.
  5. La Croix — https://www.la-croix.com/gisele-pelicot-une-victime-debout-devenue-icone-de-la-cause-des-femmes-20241219
    Supports: Public identification, later life, and reporting on the trial outcome.
  6. Radio-Canada — https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2128092/gisele-pelicot-proces-viol-mazan
    Supports: Canadian coverage of the trial, convictions, and the case's legal significance.
  7. French Wikipedia — https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affaire_des_viols_de_Mazan
    Supports: Name of the criminal case and its characterization as the Mazan rape case.