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The nation's survivor of multiple assaults, Gisèle Pelicot, is reappearing before the judiciary at the start of the week to face one of her attackers, the only man who is challenging the prior year's court decision in which a group of 51 individuals were found guilty of raping her as she rested, sedated, administered by her partner in their family home.

During that period, the survivor's outspoken position was viewed as a potentially catalytic moment in the struggle with abuse. However across the nation, that hope seems to be fading.

"I am going to harm you if you don't leave now," snarled a individual standing outside a ancient place of worship in Mazan, the scenic area where the individuals previously resided.

He caught my conversation inquiring with a senior resident about the effect of the court trial on France and, while threatening to destroy our equipment too, was now clarifying that the community was tired of being linked to one of the world's most notorious rape trials.

Earlier in the week, the mayor of Mazan had put forth a gentler version of the similar perspective, in a public statement that described Gisèle Pelicot's years-long ordeal as "a personal situation… that has nothing to do with us."

One can well understand the leader's desire to safeguard the community's image and its visitor sector. However it is important to recognize that a prior year, he'd made headlines throughout the country after he'd stated to me on two occasions, in an interview, that he wanted to "play down" the severity of the survivor's experiences because "no lives were lost", and youth were not affected.

Additionally it should be mentioned that almost all the ladies we were able to interview in Mazan recently held a different view from the mayor's desire to view the legal matter as, mainly, something to "leave behind."

Smoking a cigarette in a covered entryway not far from the church, a public employee in her thirties, who identified herself as Aurélie, communicated with undisguised bitterness.

"No-one talks about it anymore, within this community. It's as if it never happened. I am aware of an individual experiencing abuse at home currently. But women hide it. They're afraid of the persons who engage in such behavior," she expressed, noting that she was "certain" that additional Gisèle Pelicot's rapists remained undetected, and unapprehended, in the neighbourhood.

Walking nearby near a few felines soaking up the sun, a different individual, in her late sixties, was equally keen to talk, but took a different view of the Pelicot case.

"The world is evolving. France is evolving." Due to the survivor's actions? "Absolutely. It has given impetus, for women to talk without fear," she informed me, with conviction.

Nationwide, there is little question that the attention spawned by Gisèle Pelicot's globally broadcast determination that "shame should change sides" - from survivor to perpetrator – has supplemented the drive to a effort targeting abuse previously invigorated by the MeToo movement.

"From my perspective modifying actions is something that needs a long time. [But] the proceedings sparked a massive, unprecedented movement… targeting abuse, and against impunity," said Alyssa Ahrabare, who oversees a coalition of numerous advocacy bodies in the nation. "Our attention is on instructing experts, assisting survivors, on investigations."

"Absolutely, the country has evolved. The reports of assaults has grown significantly, indicating that those affected – ladies and young women – they come forward and they desire accountability," concurred Céline Piques, spokesperson for the NGO "Dare to be feminist".

Nonetheless, the energy and optimism that overwhelmed the survivor at the end of the year, as she emerged from the judicial building and into a scrum of supporters, have not brought about many meaningful reforms to the manner the national government handles the matter of abuse.

Actually, there is a widespread understanding among advocates and professionals that things are, instead, deteriorating.

"Unfortunately, the government does not react," said the spokesperson, citing figures showing that rates of successful prosecutions are stagnating in spite of a notable surge in instances of abuse.

"The situation is dire. There is opposition. Rape culture ideas are resurfacing significantly. This is evident in the male-centric groups rising in popularity, notably within young boys and teenagers," noted the activist,