We celebrate Women’s History Month each March, and the 8th is International Women’s Day. I usually name women who are historical or contemporary heroes as a way to celebrate. This year, it’s compelling to consider the survivors and victims of large-scale male entitlement and violence. Before you read further, please be aware that my column describes trauma.
Unless you are fasting from news media influence, you know about Gisèle Pelicot. You know at least bits about what the Epstein files have revealed. You may have read about the trend of Pakistani-British male grooming gangs that began at the turn of the century and went largely unprosecuted for twenty years. Rather than protecting young girls who were gang-raped repeatedly and trafficked to other groups, the government feared being seen as racist or xenophobic for arresting men and boys of Pakistani descent.
A similarly perverse response occurred when women were raped and tortured on October 7, 2023 in Israel and in subsequent hostage hell in Gaza. People who should have been allies and supporters of these women turned their backs defiantly by publicly declaring there was no proof.
I Believe Israeli Women is partnered with Jewish Women International to counter the denialism and disinformation and to stand with Israeli women who suffered sexual violence throughout the Hamas massacre. I recently attended their webinar, “Surviving the Unthinkable: A Conversation of Captivity and Recovery,” where survivors told their stories in painful detail. Their bravery and resilience are inspiring.
Gisèle Pelicot has rightfully become a global feminist hero for her rejection of shame and for showing up every day in court — waiving her right to anonymity — to face her husband and 50 other rapists in the monthslong trial for unimaginable crimes. Pelicot’s new book, “A Hymn to Life: Shame has to Change Sides,” was released in multiple languages last month. She thought she was living a normal life of retirement in Mazan — a small town in southeastern France — when in fact her husband was drugging and raping her. He invited at least 70 men over a period of 10 years to rape her while she was drugged and unaware. He videotaped the rapes.
Pelicot continued to appear in court despite how difficult it was because numerous women showed up every morning at the courthouse to show their solidarity. She said she did not want to let them down. She has received countless letters of gratitude from women all over the world. The monstrous husband had appealed to men of all ages through a site that included the language, “She’ll never know,” so these men knew what they were doing, yet not one of them expressed remorse or admitted guilt. They were all found guilty (thanks to video evidence), and there are at least 20 men who have not been caught. Pelicot could have appealed some of the lighter sentences, but she had been through enough and simply wanted the justice of them being found guilty.
Gisèle Pelicot has been direct and clear that objectification and misogyny directed at women is not the work of random crazy men. Her rapists were all leading normal lives. Rape is a systemic and widespread crisis. The husband was basically a small-town pimp who needed other men to feel his power. This was continual emotional and physical gang rape.
On the rich and politically powerful side, Jeffrey Epstein trafficked and exploited underage girls and others for his twisted needs. Legions of men — influential figures — enjoyed his private jets, parties, and private island. Emails reveal disgusting and dehumanizing language regarding women and their body parts. As with Pelicot’s husband’s buddies, they are all feigning innocence and ignorance about Epstein’s wrongdoing. Yeah, right, none of you knew. And none of you participated in wrongdoing. It was all for laughs. Wine, women (and girls) and song.
I’ll write it again here as I have in the past. Men need to have the will, the respect and the empathy to change this paradigm. They need to educate their sons to do the same. This work should not rest on women’s shoulders. It’s Women’s History Month. I am calling on men of good conscience to take action and to have the backbone to stand against boys and men doing harm to girls and women. Silence is complicity.
Dr. Einat Wilf is a hero for International Women’s Day. She is an Israeli feminist who served in the Knesset for the Labor Party, and she is a scholar and expert on Zionism. Her series here explains it and debunks misinformation and misconceptions. I highly recommend this for anyone seeking clarity: https://ideas.tikvah.org/courses/zionism-and-anti-zionism-the-history-of-two-opposing-ideas?.
On a celebratory note, let’s not forget the 2026 Winter Olympics athlete women who won 21 of the 33 medals for the United States and all of the women who work so hard to compete at the highest level of sports.
Happy Women’s History Month, and vive Gisèle Pelicot!
J.M. Sorrell is a monthly columnist. She is still feeling the awe of Alysa Liu’s figure skating performance and U.S. women’s hockey team games all the way to the gold. Boston Fleet games are selling out now. Professional women’s hockey is on the map.