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France's individual subjected to numerous attacks, Gisèle Pelicot, is heading back to the courtroom on Monday to confront one of her attackers, the sole individual who is challenging the judicial outcome from the previous year in which a group of 51 individuals were convicted of assaulting her as she lay, drugged, administered by her partner in their family home.

During that period, Madame Pelicot's defiant public stance was seen as a potential trigger in the fight against abuse. But in France, that hope looks to be diminishing.

"I am going to harm you if you don't leave now," growled a individual located by a ancient place of worship in Mazan, the charming locale where the couple had their home.

He caught my conversation asking an elderly woman about the effect of the Pelicot case on France and, while vowing to damage our camera too, was now stating that the locality was fed up with being connected to one of the globally infamous legal proceedings for assault.

A few days earlier, the mayor of Mazan had put forth a gentler version of the similar perspective, in a official announcement that portrayed Gisèle Pelicot's extended trauma as "a personal situation… that has nothing to do with us."

It is easy to comprehend Mayor Louis Bonnet's wish to defend the locality's standing and its tourism industry. However it is important to recognize that a previous period, he'd garnered attention across France after he'd told me, twice, in an discussion, that he aimed to "play down" the seriousness of Gisèle Pelicot's ordeals because "there were no fatalities", and minors were not part of it.

Additionally it should be mentioned that the vast majority of the women we did speak to in Mazan in the past few days held a different view from the mayor's desire to regard the proceedings as, mostly, something to "leave behind."

Lighting up in a shaded doorway near the place of worship, a 33-year-old civil servant, who gave her name as Aurélie, communicated with clear frustration.

"It is not a topic of conversation, including in this town. It's as if it never happened. I know someone suffering from abuse at home right now. Yet ladies keep it secret. They are scared of the individuals who do these things," she stated, mentioning that she was "convinced" that more of the assailants had not been caught, and free, in the neighbourhood.

Moving through the area by some cats enjoying the warmth, Aurore Baralier, 68, was equally keen to talk, but took a different view of the legal matter.

"Society is progressing. France is evolving." With Madame Pelicot's help? "Certainly. It has provided encouragement, for women to express themselves openly," she informed me, emphatically.

Nationwide, there is no doubt that the publicity generated by Gisèle Pelicot's worldwide shared commitment that "the stigma ought to shift" - from survivor to perpetrator – has provided added momentum to a movement opposing assault earlier activated by the MeToo movement.

"I would say modifying actions is something that needs a long time. [But] the proceedings triggered a massive, unprecedented movement… opposing assault, and combating lack of accountability," remarked a coordinator, who oversees a alliance of multiple women's groups in the country. "Our attention is on training professionals, supporting victims, on investigations."

"Absolutely, the country has evolved. The cases of abuse has tripled, demonstrating that victims – women and girls – they come forward and they desire accountability," agreed a spokesperson, representative of the NGO "Dare to be feminist".

Nonetheless, the drive and positivity that surrounded Gisèle Pelicot at the end of the year, as she exited the Avignon courthouse and into a scrum of supporters, have not led to many meaningful reforms to the manner the national government handles the issue of sexual violence.

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

"Unfortunately, the government does not react," said the spokesperson, pointing to data indicating that conviction rates are stagnating despite a notable surge in cases of assault.

"The situation is dire. There is opposition. Beliefs enabling abuse are coming back very strongly. This is evident in the masculinist movement rising in popularity, particularly among youth," continued the activist,