WARNING: This article may concern those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who has.

Gisèle Pelicotwhose husband orchestrated her mass rape over a 10-year period, on Tuesday condemned the cowardice of dozens of men accused of attacking her and who say they did not realize it was rape.

She added French patriarchal society must change.

Dominique Pelicot, her husband, admitted to drugging his wife and inviting strangers into their home to rape her while she was unconscious, in a trial that attracted worldwide attention and turned into an examination of the omnipresence of sexual violence.

Most of the other 50 men on trial said they did not realize they were raping her, did not intend to rape her, and did not intend to reject any the fault on her husband, who, according to them, had manipulated them.

“For me, it is the trial of cowardice, there is no other way to describe it,” said Gisèle Pelicot, adding that there was no excuse for mistreating her while she was unconscious.

A video recorded by her husband and played in court in recent weeks repeatedly shows her motionless, sometimes snoring, while the accused abused her.

“When you walk into a room and see a still body, at what point (do you decide) not to react,” she said in a speech to the defendants, many of whom were present in the courtroom . “Why didn’t you leave immediately and report it to the police?”

Gisèle Pelicot, 72, only learned of the abuse four years ago when police came across videos and photos recorded by her husband of the abuse he had orchestrated.

“Rape is rape”

She told the court she was angry with the defendants, particularly because any one of them could have ended her ordeal at any time if they had reported her husband.

“They must take responsibility for their actions. They raped. Rape is rape,” she added.

This is the third time Gisèle Pelicot has addressed the court in Avignon, southern France, as the trial heads towards the delivery of verdicts and sentences around December 20.

Under French law, Gisèle Pelicot could have requested that the trial take place behind closed doors. Instead, she asked for the event to be held in public, saying she hoped it would help other women speak out and show that victims have nothing to be ashamed of.

“It’s time for society to look at this macho, patriarchal society and change the way it views rape,” she told the court. She said she would never forgive her husband.

On Monday, the Pelicots’ two sons asked the court to punish him severely and also said they would never forgive him and that he was dead for them. Their sister said she believed Dominique Pelicot also drugged and abused her.

Dominique Pelicot, 71, is due to appear in court later Tuesday. His lawyer, Beatrice Navarro, said she was “very depressed.”

“I told him we should not leave this hearing without him giving exactly why he did this against his wife,” Navarro said. “So, with all my heart, I hope we come out of this tonight with an explanation.”

WATCH | Gisèle Pelicot’s lawyer castigates the accused:

Lawyer in French gang rape trial denounces men’s ‘cowardice’

Lawyer Stéphane Babonneau says Gisèle Pelicot cannot forgive the “cowardice” of the 50 men accused of raping her while she was drugged unconscious by her husband. Any of them could have alerted the authorities anonymously, “so it’s also the trial of cowardice for them,” he said.

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, support is available through crisis lines and local support services through Canadian Association to End Violence Database. ​​

For anyone affected by family or domestic violence, support is available through local crisis lines and support services. ​​

If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.