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The nation's mass rape victim, Gisèle Pelicot, is reappearing before the judiciary this week to face a perpetrator found guilty, the sole individual who is contesting the prior year's court decision in which a total of 51 accused were found guilty of attacking her as she rested, sedated, administered by her partner in their domicile.

During that period, Madame Pelicot's outspoken position was regarded as a potentially catalytic moment in the struggle with sexual violence. But in France, that positive outlook looks to be diminishing.

"I will attack you unless you depart immediately," growled a man located by a ancient place of worship in the town, the scenic area where the couple once lived.

He caught my conversation inquiring with a senior resident about the impact of the court trial on France and, while promising to break our camera too, was now clarifying that the locality was tired of being linked to one of the internationally recognized sexual assault cases.

A few days earlier, the town's leader had put forth a softer interpretation of the same argument, in a communique that depicted the survivor's extended trauma as "a personal situation… that has nothing to do with us."

One can well understand the leader's wish to defend the locality's standing and its travel business. But it seems worth noting that a prior year, he'd received coverage nationwide after he'd stated to me on two occasions, in an interview, that he sought to "minimize" the gravity of the individual's trauma because "no lives were lost", and youth were not affected.

It is also worth noting that the vast majority of the female residents we did speak to in the town last week disagreed with the official's wish to regard the proceedings as, mostly, something to "leave behind."

Smoking a cigarette in a covered entryway close to the place of worship, a government worker, who identified herself as the resident, communicated with clear frustration.

"People no longer discuss it, within this community. It seems like it never occurred. I am aware of an individual going through family abuse right now. But women hide it. They fear the persons who commit these acts," she said, noting that she was "sure" that additional the assailants remained undetected, and free, in the area.

Walking nearby by some cats enjoying the warmth, Aurore Baralier, 68, was similarly willing to discuss, but took a different view of the proceedings.

"The world is evolving. The country is advancing." With Madame Pelicot's help? "Certainly. It has provided encouragement, for women to speak freely," she told me, with conviction.

Throughout the nation, there is certainty that the attention generated by Gisèle Pelicot's globally broadcast resolve that "shame should change sides" - from victim to rapist – has supplemented the drive to a effort targeting assault already energised by the MeToo movement.

"I would say altering conduct is something that takes generations. [But] the proceedings sparked a huge, historic mobilisation… against sexual violence, and against impunity," said a coordinator, who oversees a coalition of multiple women's groups in the country. "We concentrate on training professionals, supporting victims, on investigations."

"Absolutely, the country has evolved. The [number of] complaints of rapes has increased threefold, showing that victims – women and girls – they come forward and they desire accountability," affirmed an advocate, voice of the organization "Osez le féminisme".

However, the drive and positivity that overwhelmed the survivor last December, as she exited the judicial building and into a group of backers, have not led to many significant alterations to the manner the authorities addresses the challenge of assault.

In fact, there is a general agreement among activists and specialists that conditions are, rather, declining.

"Sadly, officials take no action," said the advocate, pointing to data showing that conviction rates are stagnating notwithstanding a significant increase in reported rape cases.

"The picture is bleak. There is a backlash. Beliefs enabling abuse are resurfacing significantly. This is apparent through the masculinist movement becoming more prevalent, notably within youth," added the activist,