World Cup 2018: Female sports journalists have launched a campaign as they’re sick of being harassed

Female journalists in Brazil have launched an anti-harassment campaign amidst incidents of sexual assault while reporting on the job at the World Cup.

There have been a number of recorded incidents in which female reporters are groped, touched inappropriately and kissed without their consent.

In one incident, Julieth Gonzalez Theran was grabbed roughly and kissed as she was broadcasting from the Russian city of Saransk.

In another clip, sports reporter Júlia Guimarães tells a fan who attempted to kiss her without her consent to "never do this to a woman". The man can then be heard saying "I’m sorry".

Female sports journalists in Brazil have launched #LetHerWork and created a video in an effort to end the sexism and harassment they face in their day-to-day jobs. Such incidents during the World Cup have given the movement traction.

A few female reporters had started a WhatsApp group as a way to share such incidents and offer one another support. In March, they decided to start ‘DeixaElaTrabalhar, which is Portuguese for ‘let her work’.

The women started to work with police and prosecutors to make sure Brazil’s laws against defamation and public insult are properly enforced in stadiums across the country.

Female journalists have been called ‘prostitutes’, and while authorities appear to act against racism, says Gabriela Moreyra - who was one of the women who launched the video campaign - they remain quiet when it comes to sexism:

With racism, this has already been talked about a lot. With women, no.

The video begins with headlines about female journalists being harassed or threatened and screen shots of insults that people have posted on social media about them.

One reporter says, "It happened to me," followed by a clip of a fan trying to kiss her.

Another says:

It's already happened to all of us.

"And it cannot happen anymore," a third adds.

There have been at least four reported incidents of fans groping, kissing or attempting to kiss female journalists since the start of the World Cup in Russia.

More: World Cup 2018: England football fans shout at police dog for 'being German' after Sweden win

More: World Cup 2018: LGBT+ activists are using football shirts to display rainbow flag in Russia