As Gisèle Pelicot faces one of her attackers before the court, what shifts have taken place in France?
France's individual subjected to numerous attacks, Gisèle Pelicot, is returning to court this week to confront one of her attackers, the only man who is challenging the judicial outcome from the previous year in which a collective of 51 defendants were convicted of assaulting her as she lay, drugged, by her husband in their family home.
During that period, the survivor's outspoken position was seen as a potential trigger in the struggle with abuse. However across the nation, that positive outlook appears to be wilting.
"I am going to harm you unless you depart immediately," growled a man located by a medieval church in the town, the picturesque town where the individuals had their home.
He'd just overheard me inquiring with a senior resident about the influence of the legal proceedings on the country and, while threatening to destroy our camera too, was now explaining that the town was fed up with being connected to one of the globally infamous legal proceedings for assault.
Earlier in the week, the town's leader had released a softer interpretation of the similar perspective, in a public statement that portrayed Gisèle Pelicot's years-long ordeal as "a personal situation… that has no relevance to our town."
It is easy to comprehend the leader's desire to defend the locality's standing and its travel business. But it seems worth noting that a previous period, he'd received coverage across France after he'd stated to me on two occasions, in an conversation, that he sought to "minimize" the gravity of the survivor's experiences because "no-one was killed", and youth were not affected.
Additionally it should be mentioned that nearly every one of the women we managed to converse with in the community last week held a different view from the leader's intention to see the Pelicot case as, mainly, something to "leave behind."
Smoking a cigarette in a covered entryway close to the place of worship, a government worker, who provided the name the resident, expressed with clear frustration.
"People no longer discuss it, including in this town. It seems like it never occurred. I know someone experiencing abuse at home right now. Yet ladies keep it secret. They fear the men who engage in such behavior," she expressed, mentioning that she was "certain" that further Gisèle Pelicot's rapists had not been caught, and unapprehended, in the community.
Strolling in the vicinity by some sunbathing cats, another resident, elderly, was just as eager to converse, but took a different view of the proceedings.
"The world is evolving. France is evolving." Because of the individual's stance? "Absolutely. It has given impetus, for women to express themselves openly," she told me, emphatically.
Throughout the nation, there is little question that the publicity generated by the survivor's worldwide shared resolve that "the stigma ought to shift" - from victim to rapist – has provided added momentum to a campaign against assault already energised by the social initiative.
"I would say modifying actions is something that needs a long time. [But] the legal matter sparked a massive, unprecedented movement… opposing assault, and combating lack of accountability," said a coordinator, who co-ordinates a network of 50 feminist organisations in France. "We concentrate on educating specialists, supporting victims, on examinations."
"Yes, France has changed. The cases of abuse has grown significantly, demonstrating that victims – women and girls – they speak up and they desire accountability," agreed Céline Piques, voice of the group promoting gender equality.
Nonetheless, the vigor and hope that engulfed the survivor at the end of the year, as she left the judicial building and into a crowd of advocates, have failed to result in many meaningful reforms to the manner the French state addresses the challenge of abuse.
In fact, there is a widespread understanding among campaigners and experts that conditions are, rather, declining.
"Sadly, officials take no action," said the spokesperson, highlighting figures indicating that rates of successful prosecutions are stagnating notwithstanding a sharp rise in instances of abuse.
"The situation is dire. There is opposition. Rape culture ideas are coming back very strongly. This is evident in the masculinist movement gaining traction, particularly among young boys and teenagers," noted the activist,
