The clothes that some women wear, transparent tights and tops, clothes that highlight ‘cleavage’, as well as the way personal trainers, that is, private trainers, are the basis of possible harassment in several gyms in the Angolan capital and surrounding areas
The reporting team from the newspaper O PAÍS visited some gyms in Luanda to understand how they work and whether or not there are cases of “sexual harassment”.
During the round, it was discovered that the way some athletes, especially women, dress, draws the attention of those present or even those who are supposed to be just coaches. Among the components of the training clothing that women frequently wear are the so-called tops, blouses with little fabric and tights, which end up enhancing the female figure even more during training.
As for boys, it is common to see them wearing undershirts, shorts and sports pants in the way many present themselves on a daily basis to practice physical exercise in ‘gyms’, some of which are visited by this newspaper’s team. . Another issue that did not go unnoticed by the reporting team is the way in which private “personal trainers” or trainers teach and/or exemplify the exercises.
To the naked eye, in relation to the guidance given to women, there is permanent physical contact, which seems normal among male and female athletes in light of various compliments. For this reason, the coordinator and instructor of the Solarium gym, located in Condomínio Veredas das Flores, close to the 11 de Novembro Stadium, Anderson Fortunato Mateus, assumed that sexual harassment does exist in many gyms.
Anderson Fortunato Mateus explained that sexual harassment in these spaces is as common as in any workplace. Therefore, according to our interviewee, you cannot cover the sun with a sieve, adding that women are the ones who suffer the most harassment here at the Veredas gym. Still, Anderson Fortunato Mateus stressed that everyone must know how to position themselves in the gym. “As an instructor I must be professional. The fact that I have some enviable physique doesn’t mean I have to give in to a student’s whim or the other way around,” he explained.
To combat harassment at his gym, Anderson Fortunato Mateus recalled that the gym has rules that prohibit a student from training with transparent tights or with ‘cleavage’ fully visible in order to harass colleagues, as well as instructors. “We are human and we are subject to making mistakes or falling into temptation, but this largely depends on the character of each person in the gym”, he reiterated.
In turn, the instructor at Ginásio do Nelo, located in Sapú 2, in the urban district of Cidade Universitária, Hermenegildo de Oliveira, revealed that he has already suffered harassment from students. “I often received compliments on my body, as well as being invited to go out with them. But, for reasons of professional ethics, I did not accept sexual involvement with the young women at the gym,” he said.
BY: Mário Silva and Kiameso Pedro
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