FIFA World Cup 2018: Brazilian men accused of sexually harassing Russian TV journalist

Videos of the men making the reporter say Portuguese words with sexual and racist connotations have angered people back home in Brazil and around the world.

Representational image courtesy: Reuters/Marcos Brindicci

Just days after a reporter for a German channel was kissed and apparently groped by a man during a live telecast, reports of a group of Brazilian football fans sexually harassing a Russian TV journalist have enraged the world.

A number of videos have appeared online in which a group of Brazilian football supporters make the unknowing TV journalist speak Portuguese words which have sexual and racist connotations. Unable to understand the meaning of the words, the journalist repeats these - much to the glee and humour of the men in the videos.

It has led to a sharp reaction on social media websites back in Brazil with people slamming the men for bringing the country a bad name. While there are a few who have also rubbished the video as a 'juvenile joke unworthy of attention,' most agree that degrading a woman and not letting a professional journalist work is unacceptable.

The videos have also prompted UN Women's office in Rio de Janeiro to issue a sharp condemnation. "It is unacceptable the deliberate intention of some Brazilian fans to sexually harass women during the World Cup, using embarrassment, deception, and thus violating the human rights of women," said the agency. "With low slang words, they reduced women to sexual objects in the demonstration of how misogyny, which even underlies the culture of rape, takes different forms and has no borders, occurring in an event that aims to promote the integration of peoples and feelings of union for sport."

Local reports suggest that while the men in the video have been identified, action against them - if any - is pending.