Female Brazilian sports journalists’ plea: Just let us work
RIO DE JANEIRO— Female sports journalists in Brazil have been campaigning to curb the sexism and harassment they face while doing their jobs — and incidents during reports from the World Cup have drawn attention to their LetHerWork movement.
It’s part of efforts worldwide by women to publicize sexual harassment and assault in their everyday lives, most famously through the #MeToo movement.
Just as women from Hollywood to academia have spoken out, the sports journalists are highlighting the difficulties of working in what has traditionally been considered a man’s world and remains largely populated by men.
For years, they say, they have been groped, kissed and insulted while covering games and news conferences. Back at the office, they faced skepticism that a woman could effectively cover sports. A few began a WhatsApp group to exchange stories and as that group grew, so did the feeling that they needed to do something publicly about it.
In March, several journalists posted a video online with a hashtag that was a call to action: #DeixaElaTrabalhar — Portuguese for LetHerWork. They have also begun working with police and prosecutors to ensure that Brazil’s laws against defamation and public insult are enforced in stadiums.
Some journalists have recounted hearing fans repeatedly shouting insults such as “prostitute” at them for entire halves of games with authorities doing nothing. When racial slurs are uttered, by contrast, other fans and police seem more prepared to act, said Gabriela Moreira, who appeared in the video.
“With racism, this has already been talked about a lot. With women, no,” said Moreira, who works for ESPN.
The video begins with a montage of headlines about female journalists being harassed or threatened and screen shots of insults that people have posted on social media about them.
“It happened to me,” one reporter says, followed by a clip of a fan leaning in to kiss her.
“It’s already happened to all of us,” another says.
“And it cannot happen anymore,” a third adds.
Aline Nastari, who also appears in the DeixaElaTabalhar video, said previously women felt alone when such things happened. “From the moment you make it public and you feel that you’re in it together, that there are a lot of people experiencing the same thing, you feel supported to fight,” said Nastari, who works for the Brazilian channel Esporte Interativo. “DeixaEla-Trabalhar symbolizes this. It’s that moment when we’re all together, we’re all united.”