#LetHerWork, a movement born in Brazil and now spreading all over the world


  • July 04, 2018
Some of the sport journalists that shaped the campaign #LetHerWork

by Martin Mazur

"We are only women. Sport does also belong to us. We only want to work in peace. We only want respect". With these powerful lines, female Brazilian sport journalists founded a movement that has already rocked the country. In times of #MeToo, this is the first serious attempt to address the difficulties that women face when working as sport reporters

The movement’s hashtag is simple, but powerful: #DeixaElaTrabalhar (#LetHerWork). The featured characters, more than 100, work in print, radio and TV media outlets. They have all encountered the same difficulties. Fans trying to kissing them on air is one of the many problems they face. They want to work without suffering. As men do.

"It's violence, it's abusive, it's a lack of respect", they denounce in their first YouTube video, that already got over 20,000 views in a few weeks. "In the desk, in the office, in the stadium, we only want to work", they claim.

World Cup of shame

Russia 2018 has been a step forward for many female journalists, but at the same time, there were several episodes of abuse and harassment registered on camera.

Julieth Gonzalez Theran, DW journalist, was kissed and touched on camera.

Deutsche Welle’s journalist Julieth Gonzalez Theran was kissed and touched while reporting from Saransk. "We do not deserve this treatment. We are equally as professional and deserving. I share the joy of football, but we must identify the line between affection and harassment,” she said.

Another victim was Spanish journalist María Gómez, working for Mediaset, who was also kissed by a fan and became visible for stopping another fan that said ‘cutie’ to her. Upon returning to Spain, she wrote a letter and shared it on Twitter. “I’ve prepared myself for months to face this talk, but quite evidently now, I forgot to prepare myself to deal with a minority of fans that not only complicated my duties but also the duties of several other journalists, trying to touch, to kiss, to grab you by the hair, pushing, insulting and other list of conducts that, even if recurrent, should never be granted as normal”.

Maria Gomez covered the World Cup for Mediaset and was kissed on air.

While male journalists will be able to say that they enjoyed every minute of Russia 2018, will the female journalists be able to say the same?

#LetHerWork is just starting.

Deconstructing the profession is presented by AIPS Sport Media Awards, a bridge to the future of sport journalism. Divided in 6 main categories, the Awards are a celebration of the best sport storytellers from around the world. Submissions for professionals are free and open until September 17, 2018. Find more and submit your work in www.aipsawards.com







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