French courts may finally be taking years of complaints about sexual violence seriously, advocates and experts say.

French cinema star Gérard Depardieu faces a suspended prison term and registration as a sex-offender if he is convicted today of assault.At his trial six weeks ago, the court heard testimony from two women who said the 76-year-old actor groped them during work on a film set in Paris in 2021.

Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) A plaintiff speaks with the media outside a Paris court,