Gisèle Pelicot and her scarf: Some days a shield, other days a hug

Paris, France

A 72-year-old woman from France, Gisèle Pelicot, was drugged and raped by 50 men and her 'sadist' husband for almost a decade. When she was to appear in the courtroom for her criminal trial, she had the option to hide her identity to get saved from victim shaming by the world. But she did not choose that. Rather, she demanded "shame change sides" saying it's the rapist who should be ashamed of it not the survivor. 

She won the case and got her criminals behind bars becoming a feminist icon across the globe. One thing that was constant in the entire journey of her fighting was her scarf. At every court hearing, she was seen wearing one or another scarf around her neck. But one scarf that grabbed the most attention was the one she was wearing on the day her rapists were charged. 

The scarf was given to her by Australia's Older Women's Network as a gift. She wore the scarf even during the dark time in the courtroom when she had to show the evidence of her rape. 

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Her scarves became the metaphor of a hug given to her by all the women across the world. Some days, her scarf was the shield in the courtroom against the vultures sitting in the trial room. And other days, it was a source of comfort and peace when she won the case. 

Will Anything Change? 

Now, when everything is said and done, will Gisèle's case bring any changes in the society where rape survivors have been subject to shame and guilt as if they are the one who have done wrong? Will the patriarchal society take a pause and think about how it deals with the rapist and survivors? 

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As Gisèle's lawyer said: "change will not come from the ministry of justice but from the ministry of education". No matter how intense the punishment is, nothing will change until consent and sex education become a part of the education curriculum. And on top of that, there is a huge need to understand that predators are not always strangers. They also could be someone expected to protect you, like we saw in Gisèle's case.