As Gisèle Pelicot confronts one of her rapists in court, what shifts have taken place in France?
France's individual subjected to numerous attacks, the woman at the center of the case, is reappearing before the judiciary at the start of the week to confront a perpetrator found guilty, the sole individual who is challenging last year's trial verdict in which a total of 51 accused were sentenced for assaulting her as she lay, drugged, administered by her partner in their domicile.
Back then, the survivor's defiant public stance was viewed as a possible turning point in the battle against abuse. Yet within the country, that optimism appears to be wilting.
"I'll smash your head in if you don't leave now," threatened a man positioned near a ancient place of worship in Mazan, the charming locale where Gisele and Dominique Pelicot previously resided.
He happened to hear me asking an elderly woman about the effect of the court trial on the country and, while threatening to destroy our camera too, was now clarifying that the locality was tired of being connected to one of the world's most notorious sexual assault cases.
Several days prior, the mayor of Mazan had put forth a gentler version of the identical viewpoint, in a public statement that portrayed Gisèle Pelicot's years-long ordeal as "a private matter… that has no relevance to our town."
It is easy to comprehend the leader's wish to safeguard the community's image and its travel business. However it is important to recognize that a prior year, he'd received coverage across France after he'd stated to me on two occasions, in an conversation, that he aimed to "play down" the seriousness of the individual's trauma because "no lives were lost", and youth were not affected.
Furthermore it is important to observe that nearly every one of the women we did speak to in the town in the past few days held a different view from the official's wish to regard the proceedings as, primarily, something to "leave behind."
Having a smoke in a shadowed entrance near the church, a 33-year-old civil servant, who provided the name Aurélie, expressed with open resentment.
"No-one talks about it anymore, even here in Mazan. It's as if it never happened. I am acquainted with a person experiencing domestic violence currently. Yet ladies keep it secret. They are scared of the men who commit these acts," she expressed, adding that she was "sure" that further the assailants were still at large, and free, in the community.
Strolling in the vicinity past a couple of sunbathing cats, another resident, elderly, was equally keen to talk, but held an opposing perspective of the legal matter.
"Society is progressing. The country is advancing." Due to the survivor's actions? "Yes. It's been a boost, for women to talk without fear," she informed me, emphatically.
Nationwide, there is no doubt that the coverage generated by the survivor's internationally transmitted resolve that "embarrassment must transfer" - from victim to rapist – has provided added momentum to a effort targeting assault previously invigorated by the social initiative.
"I would say altering conduct is something that takes generations. [But] the Pelicot case ignited a massive, unprecedented movement… against sexual violence, and combating lack of accountability," stated an activist, who manages a network of 50 feminist organisations in the country. "We're focused on instructing experts, supporting victims, on inquiries."
"Certainly, the nation has transformed. The [number of] complaints of rapes has tripled, indicating that survivors – females of all ages – they come forward and they desire accountability," concurred a spokesperson, spokesperson for the organization "Osez le féminisme".
Nonetheless, the vigor and hope that overwhelmed the survivor last December, as she emerged from the courtroom and into a group of backers, have not led to many significant alterations to the way the national government handles the issue of assault.
Indeed, there is a widespread understanding among campaigners and experts that the situation is, in contrast, worsening.
"Sadly, officials take no action," commented Céline Piques, pointing to statistics showing that rates of successful prosecutions are flat-lining in spite of a notable surge in cases of assault.
"The picture is bleak. There is opposition. Rape culture ideas are resurfacing significantly. We can see this with the masculinist movement becoming more prevalent, especially with young boys and teenagers," continued Alyssa Ahrabare,
