International
Pelicot case: turning point for social shame to fall on the aggressors?
The brutality of the sexual violence suffered for a decade by Gisèle Pelicot has generated a resounding social rejection. However, his courageous request that shame change sides, from victims to aggressors, is far from being a reality in a society in which sexual assaults are daily and women are discredited.
There were at least ten years during which Gisèle’s husband drugged her at night and offered his body to other men on the Internet, who arranged visits to the conjugal home to rape the woman. More than fifty aggressors are accused, including the husband, who recorded and stored the aggressions on his computer and whom Gisèle believed was “a cool guy.”
Shame: from victims to abusers?
After learning of the violence suffered, and convinced by his daughter, Pelicot has asked that the hearings of the trial be public, has shown his face and has requested through his lawyer that his case serve to change sides: from the victims to the aggressors.
Shame, silence, questioning and discredit have been elements that have historically deepened the revictimization of those who suffer sexual violence, so that the sentence requested by Pelicot can ignite and extend to all cases?
The director of the Women’s Foundation, Marisa Soleto, explains to EFE that society only reflects when an event of extraordinary gravity occurs.
“Statistics show a figure of violence against women in European society that can reach 40% of the female population. It seems that we need events of extraordinary gravity to be ashamed of what is an everyday event for millions of women in Europe,” she says.
“What should scandalize us is habituality”
“What should scandalize us is the habituality and frequency; as long as we have this habituality and this frequency, we are not safe from the fact that from time to time a fatal event occurs (…) It does not seem that society is about to react in the appropriate way,” he continues.
The spokeswoman of the Federation of Progressive Women Blanca Esther Aranda emphasizes that “we are in a patriarchal culture that continues to treat women as liars and hysterical and in which men have not unlearned their complicity with the culture of rape.”
In addition, this “sexist society considers women as less valid and their word is worth less.”
In this sense, the lawyer expert in defense of victims of sexual crimes Nahxeli Beas points out that society continues to blame the survivors (“that woman will have done something to trigger the violence received”), focusing on the victim and thinking that only certain women can suffer this violence, “when it is more than proven that they cross all social strata.”
This reality is aggravated when the victim does not show the behavior that society considers impeccable. In the event that she is conceived as a perfect victim, “pity”, fragility is poured on her and infantile.
Complicit society
That punishment results in his shame, something that in turn has a direct impact on his silencing. Thus, society is complicit in the aggressors, underlines the lawyer, who recalls that one in four girls suffers sexual abuse in childhood: “It happens in our families and we have to be able to look it in the eye.”
“As a society we have a responsibility: we always think that those responsible are the aggressors, when we don’t think it’s women or alcohol, and we have to think that we all have a relationship with this violence,” says Beas.
“How many times do I not have a user in the Association of Assistance to Sexually Assaulted Women (AADAS) who comes to tell me about some facts and tells me that some friend, neighbor or co-worker does not want to testify because they do not want problems. The lack of social involvement reaches that level,” says the expert.
From the Association of Women Jurists Themis, its vice president Pino de la Nuez affirms that the denial of sexual violence exists in society, as well as the intentionality of hiding and not making these situations visible.
Neither monsters nor sick people
In Soleto’s opinion, treating the case of France as an extraordinary fact makes it difficult to take measures of social and cultural change to eradicate the real problem, which is that “sexual abuse of women is implanted in culture in such a way that there are certain people to whom it may seem normal.”
Aranda indicates that it is not assumed that the aggressors are normal men, not monsters: “They are men who have normalized absolutely desictable behaviors. An explanation is sought for something exceptional when unfortunately the data say that sexual violence is continuous and devastating,” he says.
And therefore, “men must break the silence” and “denounce the violent behavior of other men.”
The AADAS lawyer denounces that the stereotype of monstrosity is still in force, “when it has long been shown that sexual violence is not associated with any pathology.” “We must analyze why we continue to build a masculinity in which sexual violence is necessary,” he reflects.
Extreme cases like that of France, Beas points out, far from pointing out sexual violence as structural, everyday and transversal to women’s lives, from putting the structures of patriarchy in check.
Gisèle’s courage
The experts recognize the courage of the French victim. Aranda believes that her phrase that shame changes sides will be “history of feminism” and Soleto extols her willingness to be in solidarity with all the victims who feel shame and do not dare to denounce.
Now, they insist that the survivors cannot be required to behave heroicly or that it falls on their backs that shame turns sides towards the aggressors. It is something that society must achieve.
“We have to stop putting the weight on women,” Beas concludes.
International
Jamaica faces widespread destruction as hurricane Melissa hits the island
Jamaican authorities reported on Tuesday that Hurricane Melissa, which weakened to a Category 4 storm just hours after making landfall in Jamaica, caused damage to six hospitals and left roads flooded, along with downed power lines and fallen trees, according to preliminary data.
Videos shared by local media and social media users show strong gusts of wind impacting Kingston in the southeast and southern municipalities of the island, causing power outages and damaging the roofs of several homes.
Flooded roads and damage to several medical institutions have also been reported. The Bustamante Children’s Hospital in Kingston experienced blocked access after a utility pole fell onto its premises. Part of the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital in Westmoreland also suffered severe damage when hurricane-force winds ripped off its roof.
Additionally, Health and Wellness Minister Christopher Tufton reported on Tuesday that four hospitals sustained “significant damage” due to Melissa. The affected medical facilities are Noel Holmes Hospital in Hanover, Black River Hospital in Saint Elizabeth, Cornwall Regional Hospital in Saint James, and Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny.
At Cornwall Regional Hospital, damage was limited to staff areas, which have since been repurposed for other uses. The Ministry stated that it is actively coordinating with the Southern Regional Health Authority and emergency services to stabilize hospital operations.
International
Colombian president Gustavo Petro denies alleged ties to criminal networks
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday rejected claims made by Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López, who suggested that the president might be involved in a criminal network linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Petro called the accusation “criminal and arbitrary” in a post on social media platform X.
“Leopoldo López’s attempt to link me to drug trafficking structures is criminal and arbitrary,” wrote the Colombian president, responding to statements made by López from Madrid, where he has been exiled since 2020.
During a press conference, López claimed that Petro “has become the first international spokesperson supporting Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship” and suggested that this support could stem from a direct relationship or shared interest with what he described as a “criminal structure.”
President Petro responded that he does not have accounts or assets abroad and that his income comes solely from his salary as a public official. “Not a single peso more. I have no accounts abroad or assets. My only property is the house I built for my children, completed before becoming mayor; I owe money on it to the bank and no one lives there. I have no other assets in Colombia or abroad, so stop being foolish,” the president said.
These statements follow the U.S. Treasury Department’s inclusion of Petro, his wife Verónica Alcocer, his son Nicolás Petro, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti on the so-called ‘Clinton List’ by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) due to alleged links to drug trafficking.
Being on this list blocks assets in the United States and prohibits financial transactions with U.S. entities.
Central America
El Salvador’s FGR prosecutes 89,875 gang members under state of exception
Records from the Office of the Attorney General of El Salvador (FGR) show that under the state of exception, 89,875 gang members from various criminal organizations have been arrested, of which 91.3% (82,078) are currently in the preliminary trial stage before the courts specialized in organized crime. The FGR anticipates favorable rulings with maximum sentences for all convicted criminals.
During a recent visit to the Legislative Assembly, Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado provided details about the work carried out under the state of exception. A dedicated team of 291 legal professionals has been assigned to these cases, including office chiefs, coordinators, assistant prosecutors, and legal collaborators.
“The team working on state-of-exception cases includes 291 professionals, plus personnel from the Telecommunications Intervention Center and supervisory staff, representing roughly 30% of the FGR’s total prosecutorial workforce,” Delgado explained.
The prosecutors have prepared 590 criminal cases with formal charges:
-
299 cases against Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) members
-
281 cases against the 18th Street gang
-
3 cases against Mao Mao
-
5 cases against Mara Máquina
-
2 cases against Mirada Loca
The Attorney General emphasized that the investigation and prosecution of 89,875 gang members is unprecedented in the country’s history. “Over the next two years, we expect to gradually reduce the number of defendants in the preliminary trial stage and move them toward final convictions,” he said.
Delgado also highlighted the work of the Analysis Section, which has processed 25,412 pieces of evidence, of which 19,658 are related to the state-of-exception cases, while the remaining 5,754 belong to other cases, reflecting the unit’s dual role in defending the interests of both the state and society.
Jamaica faces widespread destruction as hurricane Melissa hits the island
Arévalo accuses Porras and judge of undermining democracy in Guatemala
New dismembered bodies found in San Juan river days after mass killing in Palencia
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International4 days agoControversial $130 million donation to Pentagon sparks debate over troop pay
-
International4 days agoPentagon deploys USS Gerald R. Ford after narco-boat operation kills six
-
International3 days agoTrump to Meet Qatari Leaders During Asia Stopover to Discuss Gaza Peace
-
International2 days agoArgentina’s Milei secures strong victory and calls for dialogue after election surge
-
International1 day agoColombian president Gustavo Petro denies alleged ties to criminal networks
-
International3 days agoMaduro Requests Supreme Court to Strip Opposition Leader López of Venezuelan Citizenship
-
International1 day agoMexican journalist reporting on drug cartels killed in Durango
-
International2 days agoMaduro accuses U.S. of aggression over Caribbean military drills
-
Central America1 day agoEl Salvador cracks down on narcotics: 24 tons confiscated in major anti-drug operation
-
International5 hours agoJamaica faces widespread destruction as hurricane Melissa hits the island
-
Central America1 day agoEl Salvador’s FGR prosecutes 89,875 gang members under state of exception
-
Central America6 hours agoFour guatemalan soldiers arrested for stealing weapons from Northern Air Command
-
Central America5 hours agoArévalo accuses Porras and judge of undermining democracy in Guatemala
-
Central America5 hours agoNew dismembered bodies found in San Juan river days after mass killing in Palencia