Gisèle Pélicot's husband is accused of inviting men to rape her. She wants you to know her name

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

The trial surrounding Gisèle Pélicot — the French woman whose husband is accused of inviting more than 50 men to secretly rape her while she was drugged unconscious — has horrified the public, making headlines around the world. 

But the case isn't significant only because of the nature of the crimes, which her husband filmed and has confessed to, but because we know Gisèle Pélicot's name at all.

The media doesn't typically identify survivors of sexual abuse. Usually, publication bans prevent the media from doing so in order to protect the privacy of survivors and encourage them to report the crimes in the first place. But Pélicot, now aged 72, waived her legal right to anonymity.

She said she wanted the trial to be held publicly to alert the public to sexual abuse and drug-induced blackouts.

"So when other women, if they wake up with no memory, they might remember the testimony of Ms. Pélicot," she told the court in the southern French city of Avignon on Thursday, according to the New York Times. "No woman should suffer from being drugged and victimized."

Lawyer Stephane Babonneau, who represents Pélicot, told French media she wanted to show "that shame must change sides."

The case is "horrifying," but choosing to speak out publicly sends a powerful message, said Bailey Reid, CEO of the Ottawa-based sexual violence prevention program The Spark Strategy.

"That she chose to be public with it shows an important value that women should not be ashamed when they're sexually assaulted. It's never their fault, and they shouldn't feel that it is," Reid told CBC News.

"It's actually quite different than a lot of the victim-blaming and shaming that we see in a lot of media, and sexual violence tropes in television and movies."

Dominique Pélicot, now 71, and 50 other men are standing trial on charges of aggravated rape and face up to 20 years in prison. The trial started Sept. 2 and is expected to run until December. 

Beatrice Zavarro, a lawyer for Dominique Pélicot, has told French media that he admits to his crimes.

News website Vox reports that a psychologist told the court that Dominique Pélicot's reasoning for the assaults is that his wife rejected swinging. He was supposed to testify Tuesday, but was instead hospitalized for medical checks and treatments for a possible bladder infection, his lawyer told reporters.

Last Thursday, Gisèle Pélicot said she pushed for the trial in open court in solidarity with other women who go unrecognized as victims of sexual crimes.