Release of Images of Multiple Men Assaulting French Woman Escalates Court Proceedings

In France, more than two weeks after the start of the controversial court sessions regarding the serial assaults on a woman orchestrated by her husband, images of some of these assaults were shown in court for the first time. The release of these images heightened tensions. While the defendants' lawyers attempted to accuse Ms. Ghislaine Polico of complicity with her husband, this woman described all these assaults against her as 'violent rape.' Ms. Polico's husband is accused of having repeatedly drugged his wife over many years and, while she was unconscious, sexually assaulted her along with other men. The case of the assaults on Ghislaine Polico has reached a tense stage. The assaulted French woman stated: 'My body is warm, but I am dead.' On Wednesday, for the first time, 27 images of this woman, taken without her knowledge by her husband, were shown in court. After the release of these images, the defendants' lawyers attempted to prove that their clients may have been deceived. One of these lawyers said: 'When we see such photos, we can say this is a woman who enjoys sexual games.' However, Ms. Polico became furious and responded: 'Rape is rape. The lawyers try to make me look guilty with statements like I was drunk or complicit. This is insulting, and now I understand why rape victims do not file complaints because there is an attempt to insult the victims while the accused sit calmly.' One of the defendants admitted on Thursday, September 29, that he had never received 'consent' from Ghislaine Polico for his sexual act. Additionally, Ms. Polico's husband himself admitted in court that these actions were rape. The defense attorney told reporters: 'When the judge asked him if he accepted the charge of raping his wife, he confirmed it. He also admitted that sometimes alone and 'two or three times a week' he raped his wife.' The lawyer continued: 'Later, we can talk about the men who came to rape his wife, but in court, I emphasize that we must examine the actions of each of the defendants more closely and see what each one says and what the videos show. For now, these are the statements of Dominique Polico.' However, other defendants' lawyers are trying to place the main blame on the husband and reduce their clients' responsibility. One of the defendants' lawyers said the husband's guilt is undeniable: 'In my opinion, the main accused who has done this for ten years is trying to say he was just a target of those who contacted him and they played the main role, while he had control over them.' This case of serial assaults in southern France has now become a national case and remains at the forefront of the news. Demonstrations in Paris in support of the victim of these assaults indicate that, in addition to the husband, 80 men have assaulted this woman, of which only 50 have been identified. Notably, these men had no problem with the fact that the woman's husband had encouraged them to engage in sexual relations without the woman's consent, and more importantly, none of them reported this to the police. Noemi Renard, a women's rights activist in France who has run a website against sexual assaults for over ten years, wrote in an article published on Thursday in Le Monde: 'These very facts show that sexual assault is not only on the margins of society but is widespread. Numerous studies have proven this. If rape is this common, it is because our society tolerates such behaviors and in many cases overlooks sexual violence.' Ms. Renard published a book in 2018 titled 'The End of Rape Culture,' in which she examined prejudices related to sexual assault. In her recent article, she also emphasized that this case again shows the existence of 'rape culture' in society. This civil activist wrote: 'The use of the term 'rape culture' helps us better understand this phenomenon; this term indicates that sexual violence is a systemic problem. This term, which emerged in the 1970s in American feminist movements, has also been used in Europe since the 2000s but has long been common only in feminist circles.' She added: 'The Polico case, due to its very shocking nature, has had a significant impact and shows how prevalent rape culture is in our society.' Other activists and women's support organizations have also called on men to take more responsibility in combating sexual violence against women.