Last week, the World Cup kicked off in Russia. The coverage of the major tournament is extensive and has reporters from around the globe are covering the event either in their home countries or on the ground in Russia.
One such reporter, however, found herself in a position she did not anticipate while discussing the soccer strategy and systems last week.
According to The Washington Post, reporter Julieth Gonzalez Theran was covering the event for Deutsche Welle’s Spanish news channel when a man came up and appears to grab her breast and kissed her on the cheek before running off. Ever the professional, Julieth was calm and collected during the rest of the broadcast, but later blasted the man on Instagram.
Comienza el Mundial y nuestra reportera @JULIETHCGT se encuentra demasiado cerca de los hinchas en el corazón de Moscú. [ko] pic.twitter.com/oMkHoUv6jy
— DW (Español) (@dw_espanol) June 14, 2018
She wrote, ““RESPECT! We do not deserve this treatment. We are equally valuable and professionals. I share the joy of football, but we must identify the limits of affection and harassment.”
The man ran off before he could be identified. Despite the disrespect Julieth Gonzalez Theran feels, she sees the situation has a one off and merely wants to continue doing the job she’s there to do: “For me, it is an isolated incident. There are always fans that compliment you and behave respectfully. This one went too far.”
Later, after being overwhelmed by global support, Gonzalez Theran wrote again on instagram to thank everyone and update on her situation: “I covered the Bundesliga, Champions League, and the Colombian national team for ESPN this past year, but had never been assaulted on the job,” She said. “Then again, we can’t always predict how fans will react. I refuse to be a victim. Instead I would like to do the job I love. Sadly the incident has now changed how I had planned to report from the World Cup. I can only report from Russia in a limited capacity and with more security. I also have to suffer the financial losses. But enough! Starting tomorrow, I would like to talk about football again. I want to experience and report from this World Cup. That’s my dream. I refuse to let this incident take that away from me.”
Her experience is one that is all too common — with studies showing that more than 80 percent of women have experienced some kind of harassment in their workplaces. Gonzalez Theran’s commitment to her work despite this experience is inspiring, but here’s hoping for a world where she won’t need to overcome this systemic obstacle to do her job.