A new petition is calling for Gisèle Pelicot to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her strength and courage in the face of horrific sexual violence.
In 2024, Pelicot became a feminist icon, waiving her right to anonymity at the start of the mass rape trial against her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, who recruited 50 other men to rape her while she was drugged.
Her decision to make the mass rape trial public put the shame squarely on the shoulders of her abusers. Her daily appearances in court during the trial were starkly contrasted with some of the co-accused who wore masks and other clothing to try and conceal their identities.
In the end, all 51 men—aged from 22 to their early 70s—were found guilty and sentenced, while Dominique Pelicot received the maximum of twenty years in prison. The case was a stark reminder of the pervasive rape culture that continues to permit the abuse of women.
UK-based journalist Catherine Mayer, who is the founder of the Women’s Equality Party, has started the Change.org petition calling for Gisèle Pelicot to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
“It is hard to think of any form of violence that poses a greater challenge to peace than sexual violence. It is gendered and endemic. Deployed as a weapon of war, it also defaces what passes for peace every minute of every day in every part of the world. The majority of women experience sexual violence in their lifetimes,” Mayer wrote on the petition.
“Gisèle Pelicot cut through the smog of misinformation in waiving her anonymity to attend the trial of her attackers and give testimony.”
“The US Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in four women and one in 26 men will be subjected to rape or attempted rape. The majority of victims and survivors know their attackers. This truth has been written large in the trial and conviction of Gisèle Pelicot’s husband and the 50 other men who raped her,” the petition states.
In 2024, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organisation that advocates for the elimination of nuclear weapons. In 2023, it was given to Narges Mohammadi for her “fight against the oppression of women” and for protecting human rights and freedom for all in Iran.
The peace prize is awarded in December each year. Mayer is calling on the Nobel Committee and the few people permitted to make nominations to consider Pelicot for 2025.
“Nobody deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than Pelicot.”