France's reckoning with rape: Will Mazan mass trial change attitudes to sexual violence?
Description
Will this trial be remembered as France's reckoning with sexual violence in the digital age? Closing arguments are underway in the mass rape trial of 51 men who were invited over the internet to the home of Dominique Pelicot to assault his heavily sedated wife Gisèle repeatedly, over several years. The defendants come from all walks of life: some confess fully, while others insist they're not rapists, claiming they believed it was all part of a consensual sex game.
The French government is now considering introducing the notion of consent into law. Is such a bill necessary? After two months of testimony in a trial that's drawn global attention, is the public more aware of the concept of toxic masculinity and how it’s perpetuated in today’s world?
Awareness may be growing, but so is the backlash. Donald Trump's self-styled image as a "man's man" has made a return to traditional gender roles a winning campaign issue in the recent US election. How do we break through the echo chambers on this issue?
Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Ilayda Habip.
Watch moreThe Pelicot case: Will it change French attitudes towards rape?
United States
