For years she was controlled, threatened, isolated from the world and forced to have sexual relations with dozens and dozens of men in exchange for money. A chilling story that comes from Sweden and which cannot help but bring to mind the case of Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman drugged for years by her husband so that other men could abuse her.
In recent days, the court in Ångermanland, in northern Sweden, sentenced a 61-year-old man to 4 years and 5 months in prison for sexually exploiting his wife and organizing paid meetings with hundreds of men for years.
According to the sentence, the man would have managed most of the contacts and economic transactions, transforming the woman into a victim of a real system of exploitation and forcing her to have relationships with more than 250 men.
Years of violence and control
The affair apparently began in 2022. According to what emerged during the trial, the woman lived in a situation of constant psychological and physical control. The man would have taken advantage of the isolation of the house in which they lived, also monitoring it through surveillance cameras.
The accusations paint a picture of threats, intimidation and violence. The victim reported that she was forced to have sexual relations with numerous men for financial compensation and that she was continuously pressured to also produce sexual content online to attract new customers.
The turning point came in October 2025, when the woman managed to escape from the house and report her husband to the police. The investigations led to the identification of approximately 120 men who allegedly purchased sexual services from the woman. Twenty-eight of them were convicted of paying for sexual intercourse, while two received prison sentences.
In Sweden, in fact, the legislation considers prostitution a form of violence and exploitation: those who buy sexual services are punished, while the person who offers them is considered a possible victim and therefore protected.
Violence that leaves no bruises
This woman’s story brought to mind that of Gisèle Pelicot, for years she was drugged by her husband so that other men could abuse her. Different events, but united by a profound and disturbing element: the annulment of a woman’s will through control, fear and violence.
When we talk about gender violence we almost immediately think of signs that remain visible on the body, but there are wounds that do not leave bruises and which for this very reason risk going unnoticed. Isolation, threats, constant surveillance, blackmail and psychological manipulation can turn into an invisible cage from which it is very difficult to escape. Little by little the victim loses confidence in himself, in his ability to choose and even in his right to say no.
It is what experts define as coercive control: a form of violence that is not necessarily based on physical force, but on the progressive deprivation of freedom and personal autonomy. A dynamic that can creep into relationships and grow in silence, until it becomes all-encompassing.
For this reason, stories must necessarily remind us how important it is to recognize the signs of abuse, listen to those asking for help and build support networks capable of breaking isolation. Because love does not control, does not threaten and does not take away freedom and no relationship can be healthy when one person lives in fear of the other.
If you need help or know someone who is experiencing a situation of violence, you can contact the anti-violence and stalking number 1522 for free, open 24 hours a day, or contact the anti-violence centers of the Di.Re network present throughout the national territory.
