🔗 Share this article

The nation's individual subjected to numerous attacks, the woman at the center of the case, is heading back to the courtroom at the start of the week to face an individual convicted of assaulting her, the sole individual who is contesting the judicial outcome from the previous year in which a total of 51 accused were found guilty of attacking her as she lay, drugged, administered by her partner in their family home.

Back then, the survivor's outspoken position was viewed as a possible turning point in the struggle with assault. But in France, that positive outlook appears to be wilting.

"I am going to harm you unless you depart immediately," snarled a man standing outside a medieval church in Mazan, the scenic area where the couple previously resided.

He'd just overheard me inquiring with a senior resident about the effect of the legal proceedings on the country and, while vowing to damage our camera too, was now stating that the community was weary of being linked to one of the internationally recognized legal proceedings for assault.

Several days prior, the mayor of Mazan had put forth a gentler version of the same argument, in a public statement that portrayed Gisèle Pelicot's prolonged suffering 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. Yet it should be pointed out that a year earlier, he'd garnered attention across France after he'd told me, twice, in an discussion, that he sought to "play down" the seriousness of the individual's trauma because "no lives were lost", and minors were not part of it.

Furthermore it is important to observe that nearly every one of the women we were able to interview in the community in the past few days did not share the leader's intention to see the Pelicot case as, mainly, something to "leave behind."

Having a smoke in a covered entryway not far from the place of worship, a public employee in her thirties, who identified herself as Aurélie, spoke with open resentment.

"It is not a topic of conversation, even here in Mazan. It seems like it never occurred. I know someone going through domestic violence at this moment. However females conceal it. They fear the persons who engage in such behavior," she stated, adding that she was "sure" that more of Gisèle Pelicot's rapists remained undetected, and unapprehended, in the community.

Strolling in the vicinity near a few felines soaking up the sun, Aurore Baralier, elderly, was similarly willing to discuss, but took a different view of the legal matter.

"The world is evolving. France is evolving." Because of the individual's stance? "Yes. It's been a boost, for women to express themselves openly," she shared with me, emphatically.

Nationwide, there is little question that the attention spawned by the survivor's internationally transmitted determination that "the stigma ought to shift" - from victim to rapist – has provided added momentum to a campaign against abuse previously invigorated by the activist campaign.

"From my perspective modifying actions is something that requires decades. [But] the proceedings triggered a significant, landmark initiative… opposing assault, and combating lack of accountability," remarked a coordinator, who oversees a coalition of numerous advocacy bodies in France. "We're focused on training professionals, supporting victims, on investigations."

"Yes, France has changed. The reports of assaults has tripled, demonstrating that survivors – females of all ages – they speak up and they desire accountability," agreed an advocate, voice of the organization "Osez le féminisme".

However, the drive and positivity that overwhelmed Gisèle Pelicot at the end of the year, as she exited the courtroom and into a group of backers, have failed to result in many substantive changes to the manner the French state addresses the issue of assault.

Indeed, there is a widespread understanding among campaigners and experts that conditions are, rather, declining.

"Sadly, officials take no action," said the advocate, highlighting data showing that numbers of guilty verdicts are stagnating despite a sharp rise in instances of abuse.

"The picture is bleak. There is a backlash. Notions supporting assault are resurfacing significantly. This is evident in the male-centric groups becoming more prevalent, especially with adolescent males," noted the coordinator,