For a community free of violence for women runners

By Flor Aydeé Rodríguez Campos

It is not something utopian, it is something that all of us should be involved in: the construction of violence-free spaces is nothing more than the answer to the social justice we deserve, especially women and girls, who for centuries have been oppressed by a system that benefits from keeping us relegated to private spaces where submission and silence have become the perfect accomplices to make our homes the most dangerous places. History has not changed much because now that we no longer ask for permission and we are occupying public spaces as we should, machismo and misogyny have created the same atmosphere of fear, danger and insecurity in the streets, at work and even in spaces for leisure, personal development and recreation.

The #MeToo emerged in 2017 as a social and whistleblowing movement with the aim of making visible and putting an end to normalized behaviors of sexual harassment and harassment and gender-based violence. It originated in the Hollywood industry, but quickly and surprisingly spread to other work environments and became a global movement. In our country it was in 2019 when through the Twitter platform this massive movement of denunciations in different areas became relevant. And it seems that every time we women advance in the social space, we expect an immediate response from the patriarchy with greater force and that response will always be the discrediting at any cost.

It is no coincidence that I contextualize with the #MeToo movement because a few days ago I read through social networks the allegations made by the Mexican community of women runners regarding a "renowned coach" who took advantage of the position of power he had to exercise various forms of violence against the women runners he trained. It is unfortunate that our society continues to justify the aggressors and blame the victims, questioning and revictimizing those who have courageously decided to raise their voices. As defenders of human and women's rights, we know that when an aggressor realizes that fear has changed sides, his weapons are reduced to undermine the victims through attacks on their personal lives, physical appearance and even mental health. 

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