As Gisèle Pelicot confronts an individual assailants during legal proceedings, what has changed within the country?
France's survivor of multiple assaults, Gisèle Pelicot, is heading back to the courtroom this week to face a perpetrator found guilty, the sole individual who is appealing against the judicial outcome from the previous year in which a collective of 51 defendants were found guilty of attacking her as she lay, drugged, administered by her partner in their domicile.
Back then, the survivor's public resistance was regarded as a potential trigger in the battle against sexual violence. Yet within the country, that optimism seems to be fading.
"I'll smash your head in should you remain here," threatened a man standing outside a ancient place of worship in Mazan, the picturesque town where the individuals previously resided.
He happened to hear me inquiring with a senior resident about the impact of the Pelicot case on the country and, while promising to break our equipment too, was now explaining that the locality was tired of being connected to one of the globally infamous sexual assault cases.
A few days earlier, the local official had put forth a softer interpretation of the identical viewpoint, in a public statement that portrayed the survivor's extended trauma as "a personal situation… that has no connection to our community."
One can well understand the official's desire to safeguard the community's image and its tourism industry. But it seems worth noting that a previous period, he'd made headlines throughout the country after he'd repeatedly informed me, in an interview, that he sought to "minimize" the seriousness of Gisèle Pelicot's ordeals because "no-one was killed", and youth were not affected.
Furthermore it is important to observe that almost all the women we did speak to in the community last week held a different view from the official's wish to regard the proceedings as, mostly, something to "leave behind."
Lighting up in a covered entryway close to the church, a public employee in her thirties, who identified herself as the resident, expressed with undisguised bitterness.
"It is not a topic of conversation, including in this town. It seems like it never occurred. I am acquainted with a person going through abuse at home right now. However females conceal it. They are scared of the individuals who engage in such behavior," she expressed, mentioning that she was "certain" that more of the attackers remained undetected, and at large, in the community.
Walking nearby near a few cats enjoying the warmth, a different individual, elderly, was just as eager to converse, but had a contrasting opinion of the proceedings.
"Society is progressing. France is evolving." Because of the individual's stance? "Absolutely. It has given impetus, for women to express themselves openly," she told me, with conviction.
Throughout the nation, there is no doubt that the publicity produced by the survivor's globally broadcast resolve that "the stigma ought to shift" - from survivor to perpetrator – has provided added momentum to a effort targeting assault earlier activated by the social initiative.
"I would say modifying actions is something that requires decades. [But] the Pelicot case sparked a massive, unprecedented movement… targeting abuse, and against impunity," remarked a coordinator, who manages a network of numerous advocacy bodies in France. "Our attention is on training professionals, assisting survivors, on investigations."
"Yes, France has changed. The [number of] complaints of rapes has grown significantly, showing that victims – women and girls – they come forward and they desire accountability," affirmed a spokesperson, representative of the NGO "Dare to be feminist".
Nonetheless, the drive and positivity that overwhelmed the survivor the previous winter, as she exited the courtroom and into a crowd of advocates, have not brought about many significant alterations to the approach the authorities addresses the issue of sexual violence.
In fact, there is a general agreement among activists and specialists that the situation is, in contrast, worsening.
"Unfortunately, the government does not react," stated the advocate, highlighting statistics indicating that rates of successful prosecutions are flat-lining in spite of a sharp rise in instances of abuse.
"The picture is bleak. There is a backlash. Beliefs enabling abuse are resurfacing significantly. This is evident in the men's rights activism becoming more prevalent, notably within young boys and teenagers," noted the coordinator,
