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France's survivor of multiple assaults, the woman at the center of the case, is returning to court at the start of the week to come face-to-face with one of her attackers, the only man who is contesting last year's trial verdict in which a total of 51 accused were found guilty of assaulting her as she was, under the influence, administered by her partner in their domicile.

During that period, Madame Pelicot's public resistance was viewed as a potentially catalytic moment in the struggle with assault. But in France, that hope looks to be diminishing.

"I am going to harm you should you remain here," snarled a person located by a historic church in the community, the scenic area where the individuals previously resided.

He caught my conversation inquiring with a senior resident about the influence of the legal proceedings on the nation and, while promising to break our equipment too, was now clarifying that the town was fed up with being associated with one of the globally infamous legal proceedings for assault.

Earlier in the week, the mayor of Mazan had released a more diplomatic statement of the similar perspective, in a public statement that described the survivor's extended trauma as "a personal situation… that has no relevance to our town."

One may appreciate the official's wish to protect his town's reputation and its travel business. However it is important to recognize that a year earlier, he'd received coverage nationwide after he'd told me, twice, in an discussion, that he aimed to "play down" the seriousness of the survivor's experiences because "no lives were lost", and minors were not part of it.

Furthermore it is important to observe that the vast majority of the female residents we did speak to in the town in the past few days held a different view from the leader's intention to view the legal matter as, primarily, something to "leave behind."

Having a smoke in a shaded doorway near the church, a public employee in her thirties, who provided the name the individual, expressed with clear frustration.

"No-one talks about it anymore, even here in Mazan. It appears to be forgotten. I know someone going through family abuse currently. However females conceal it. They fear the men who engage in such behavior," she said, mentioning that she was "sure" that additional Gisèle Pelicot's rapists remained undetected, and at large, in the community.

Strolling in the vicinity near a few sunbathing cats, Aurore Baralier, 68, was just as eager to converse, but had a contrasting opinion of the proceedings.

"Society is progressing. The country is advancing." With Madame Pelicot's help? "Absolutely. It has given impetus, for women to express themselves openly," she told me, assertively.

Throughout the nation, there is little question that the publicity generated by Gisèle Pelicot's worldwide shared resolve that "embarrassment must transfer" - from victim to rapist – has provided added momentum to a movement opposing sexual violence already energised by the MeToo movement.

"From my perspective changing behavior is something that needs a long time. [But] the legal matter triggered a huge, historic mobilisation… opposing assault, and against impunity," said Alyssa Ahrabare, who co-ordinates a alliance of 50 feminist organisations in France. "Our attention is on instructing experts, assisting survivors, on investigations."

"Certainly, the nation has transformed. The reports of assaults has tripled, indicating that victims – women and girls – they voice their experiences and they want justice," concurred a spokesperson, representative of the group promoting gender equality.

Nonetheless, the drive and positivity that engulfed 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 approach the national government handles the issue of assault.

Indeed, there is a widespread understanding among activists and specialists that conditions are, rather, declining.

"Regrettably, authorities are unresponsive," said the advocate, highlighting data indicating that numbers of guilty verdicts are stagnating notwithstanding a significant increase in cases of assault.

"The picture is bleak. There is opposition. Beliefs enabling abuse are returning with force. This is evident in the masculinist movement becoming more prevalent, notably within young boys and teenagers," noted the coordinator,