All Black Fans Silent in the face of verbal abuse of vulnerable teens

Before the first Lions test in Auckland, a group of seven girls aged between 13 and 16 ventured out on the streets surrounding Eden Park to entertain fans with their circus skills. 

Hi Jinx didn’t just turn-up they were invited.  

For their effort’s the group were subjected to a tirade of sexual abuse. 

Mostly to be fair from the travelling Lions supporters.  

"How much for a handjob?" 

“Do you give lap dances” 

“I’d like to get into your box” 

How did it make the girls feel?

Let’s make no bones about it - these were girls.  

“Sexual comments like those made me more self-conscious when performing, because I didn’t want to be seen in that sort of way and, although I knew I wasn’t doing anything wrong, it is hard to ignore comments like those without feeling dirty or guilty about what you are doing.” (Connie, 14 years old) 

“Hearing all of the comments made me feel uncomfortable and in a way vulnerable, because when people are saying those kinds of things to you, it makes you feel smaller than them.” (Ella, 13 years old) 

Of cause rugby ‘men’ would be the first to advocate that child molesters should suffer all sorts of major indignations, but in the next breath simply allow a tourist to tell a 14 year old local girl to “Spread your legs wider”.  

 

We are constantly barraged with the image that rugby is the epitome of manliness, yet there was not one man amongst the thousands of All Black fans that night who would stand-up and tell the drunken foreign fans to STFU.

 

"Stop verbally abusing that child you sick fuck"

 

Not one AB fan intervened on their behalf.