17-Year-Old Maltese Swimmer Speaks Out Against Sexual Harassment: ‘I Don’t Feel Safe Going Out’
A 17-year-old Maltese swimmer has spoken up about the harassment she has faced after she featured in a controversial video rating women from 1-10.
“It seems like the more I grow up the worse it gets,” Mya Azzopardi, who is also a student, told Lovin Malta.
Mya recently featured in a YouTube video, which has since been deleted, which rated Maltese girls from a scale of 1-10. Following the video, the athlete took to Instagram to express her experiences as a young woman in Malta…
The post was shared on a local media platform and Mya was subsequently bombarded with hateful comments.
She even received death threats…
“I just wanted to speak out and give my own opinion, I’m sick and tired of this happening to me and my friends,” she continued.
Unfortunately for Mya, this isn’t an isolated incident. In the three months since she’s been back in Malta, the young swimmer has experienced multiple cases of sexual harassment.
“The number of times I’ve been harassed… you wouldn’t believe it. One night, I was walking home and a car drove onto the pavement, forcing me to go up against the wall. Another incident happened when I was in Paceville and some guy started to touch me. I nudged him and he turned around and started punching me.”
“There was also a time where a random guy started taking photos of me in a doctor’s waiting room.”
View this post on Instagram
Having dealt with these horrific experiences over the past few months, Mya no longer feels safe going out in public alone.
“I don’t feel safe going out. I’m scared to walk out alone, to wear certain clothes, to go out on the street.”
Although Mya has received a lot of backlash for voicing her opinion on the matter, she’s also provided a platform for girls in a similar position to speak out.
“The number of replies I got from girls thanking me so much for posting this, it broke my heart and made me want to cry. Unfortunately, this happens to a lot of my friends.”
“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to speak about this publicly – this happens to everyone, not just me but I was just fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak about it publicly.”
Mya has since made peace with the YouTube channel and the video has been taken down. The online harassment, however, continues.
Share this with someone who can relate
READ NEXT: WATCH: Malta, Romania And Hungary Represent! Meet The European Heroes Who Fed Their Communities Through The Pandemic
