WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

How could this happen?

That's one of the most pressing questions being asked by observers of a rape trial that has shocked people around the world and inspired rallies in the streets of France to support Gisèle Pelicot, whose now ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, is accused of inviting more than 50 men to secretly rape her while she was drugged unconscious.

The alleged abuses began in 2011. Dominique Pelicot told investigators that the men he invited to their home in a Provence village had to follow certain rules — they could not talk loudly, had to remove their clothes in the kitchen and could not wear perfume or smell of tobacco.

Because Dominique Pelicot, 71, videotaped the alleged rapes, police were able to track down a majority of the 72 suspects they were seeking over a period of two years. Besides Pelicot, 50 other men are standing trial. One is standing trial in absentia.

Gisèle Pelicot, 72, waived her legal right to anonymity and said she wanted the trial to be held publicly to alert the public to sexual abuse and drug-induced blackouts.

All this happened in the quaint, medieval French village of Mazan, which has a population of just over 6,000 people. According to the Telegraph, at least three men are from the village itself, and others are from the surrounding areas.

The case highlights a number of pervasive issues, like the dehumanization of women, the rape of unconscious victims and the use of technology in assaults, said Ummni Khan, an associate professor of law and legal studies at Carleton University in Ottawa.

But one of the most troublesome issues is the idea that marriage means ownership, said Khan, who researches gender, sexuality and the law.

"The fact that there were so many men willing to engage in this atrocious assault and that their ages ranged from 20s to 70s, means that there is a pervasive belief that if a husband gives his consent to access his wife's body, then you are entitled to commit rape," said Khan.

"Under this ideology, a woman's body, autonomy and agency — her very humanity — is simply an object of pleasure for the men. It's terrifying. It's a wake-up call."

WATCH | French women rally around Gisèle Pelicot: 

French women rally for woman at centre of mass rape trial

Crowds took to the streets in France over the weekend to show support for Gisèle Pélicot, whose husband is accused of drugging her and allowing strangers to rape her over several years.

What we know about the accused

Dominique Pélicot, 71, has previously confessed to the crimes to investigators. But his court hearing will be crucial for the panel of judges to decide on the fate of the 51 other men accused of rape.

While all of the men accused have been identified by police, their full names haven't been released — officially. But names have swirled online. According to French broadcaster TF1, the accused are between the ages of 26 and 74. Many of them have no criminal record. Many of them have children. 

"They are firefighters, journalists, students, truck drivers, prison guards, nurses, pensioners, municipal councillors, our friends, our lovers, our fathers, our brothers. A reality that is difficult to accept," journalist Hélène Devynck wrote in an Op-Ed in french newspaper Le Monde on Sept. 6.

"The trial has underscored the idea that the monster often hides next door," wrote journalist Daniel Verdu on the news website El Pais Monday.

Others have a history of violence against women, according to reports in Le Monde. Some have been previously convicted of domestic violence and rape, according to the paper.

They each face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty. The trial started Sept. 2 and is expected to run until December, although Dominique Pélicot has been exempted from attending the trial since Wednesday due to health concerns. On Monday, the trial was temporarily suspended for at least a day.

A majority of the defendants are contesting the accusation of rape. Some have claimed they believed a husband's consent for sexual intercourse was sufficient, while others have said Dominique Pelicot tricked them into believing that his wife was consenting.

One lawyer representing six defendants argued that "there is rape and rape, and without intention, there is no rape." 

Eighteen of the accused, including Pelicot, are in custody, according to TF1.

Defence filing complaints

Defence lawyers for the accused men have said they would be filing legal complaints because they say the leaks on their identities have endangered the men's families.

"Personal information of the accused — their identity, surname, name, profession and sometimes even pictures taken inside the courtroom — have been shared on social media, in defiance of the basic rules of our law," lawyer Isabelle Crepin-Dehaene, speaking on behalf of the defence attorneys, told Agence France Presse on Sept. 9.

"Children of defendants have been singled out at school. Wives and family members have been insulted," she said. "Defendants have received malicious phone calls, with attempts to break into their home." 

CBC News has reached out to Crepin-Dehaene for more information but has yet to receive a response.

Khan, with Carleton University, says this case needs to be about more than just making these men accountable for their alleged violent acts — that there needs to be a sustained effort in France, and all over the world, to shift cultural attitudes so that women's humanity and bodily autonomy are "absolute and unconditional."

"I honestly can't believe it's 2024 and we have to say that. But this case proves how much more work needs to be done," she said.

'You are not alone'

Meanwhile, hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered in cities across France on Saturday to support Gisèle Pelicot.

Feminist associations organized some 30 protests in cities from Marseille to Paris, where banners read "Support to Gisèle" and "Victims we believe you."

"It's very important to be here because we need to talk about the rape culture," said Anna Toumazoff, an activist and one of the organizers of the Paris protest. 

On Monday, Pelicot thanked her supporters.

"Thanks to all of you, I have the strength to fight this battle to the end," she said in French in a video posted on the news site La Provence and translated into English.

"I dedicate [this fight] to all the people, women and men, throughout the world, who are victims of sexual violence. To all these victims, I want to say to them today, Look around you, you are not alone." 

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​

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

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