While Gisèle Pelicot confronts one of her attackers in court, what has changed within the country?
France's individual subjected to numerous attacks, the woman at the center of the case, is reappearing before the judiciary on Monday to confront one of her attackers, the sole individual who is challenging last year's trial verdict in which a collective of 51 defendants were sentenced for raping her as she lay, drugged, by her husband in their family home.
At the time, Madame Pelicot's public resistance was viewed as a possible turning point in the battle against abuse. However across the nation, that positive outlook appears to be wilting.
"I'll smash your head in should you remain here," growled a man positioned near a historic church in Mazan, the scenic area where Gisele and Dominique Pelicot had their home.
He'd just overheard me questioning an older lady about the influence of the Pelicot case on France and, while threatening to destroy our equipment too, was now stating that the locality was tired of being associated with one of the globally infamous legal proceedings for assault.
Earlier in the week, the local official had issued a softer interpretation of the same argument, in a communique that depicted Gisèle Pelicot's years-long ordeal as "an individual issue… that has nothing to do with us."
It is easy to comprehend Mayor Louis Bonnet's intention to safeguard the community's image and its visitor sector. Yet it should be pointed out that a year earlier, he'd garnered attention throughout the country after he'd stated to me on two occasions, in an conversation, that he wanted to "play down" the seriousness of the survivor's experiences because "no lives were lost", and youth were not affected.
Furthermore it is important to observe that almost all the female residents we were able to interview in Mazan in the past few days held a different view from the mayor's desire to view the legal matter as, primarily, something to "get past."
Lighting up in a shaded doorway near the church, a government worker, who identified herself as the resident, communicated with clear frustration.
"It is not a topic of conversation, within this community. It seems like it never occurred. I know someone going through abuse at home right now. However females conceal it. They fear the individuals who commit these acts," she expressed, adding that she was "certain" that further Gisèle Pelicot's rapists had not been caught, and free, in the community.
Walking nearby past a couple of cats enjoying the warmth, a different individual, elderly, was equally keen to talk, but had a contrasting opinion of the legal matter.
"Globally things are changing. France is evolving." With Madame Pelicot's help? "Yes. It's been a boost, for women to speak freely," she shared with me, with conviction.
Across France, there is certainty that the coverage generated by Gisèle Pelicot's internationally transmitted resolve that "the stigma ought to shift" - from the assaulted to the assailant – has provided added momentum to a campaign against abuse previously invigorated by the MeToo movement.
"From my perspective altering conduct is something that needs a long time. [But] the legal matter sparked a huge, historic mobilisation… against sexual violence, and fighting exemption from punishment," remarked an activist, who manages a network of multiple women's groups in the country. "We're focused on instructing experts, supporting victims, on investigations."
"Certainly, the nation has transformed. The reports of assaults has tripled, indicating that those affected – ladies and young women – they speak up and they want justice," affirmed a spokesperson, voice of the group promoting gender equality.
However, the vigor and hope that overwhelmed the survivor the previous winter, as she emerged from the courtroom and into a scrum of supporters, have not brought about many significant alterations to the way the authorities handles the matter of sexual violence.
Indeed, there is a general agreement among advocates and professionals that the situation is, in contrast, worsening.
"Regrettably, authorities are unresponsive," commented the spokesperson, pointing to figures demonstrating that conviction rates are flat-lining notwithstanding a sharp rise in instances of abuse.
"The outlook is grim. There is a backlash. Notions supporting assault are returning with force. We can see this with the male-centric groups becoming more prevalent, notably within young boys and teenagers," noted Alyssa Ahrabare,
