Linnéa Claeson is one of Sweden’s most prominent handball players. She has played three National championships with Skuru IK and won the World championships with both the Youth-18 and the Youth-20 national teams. She has been subject to sexual harassment since the age of ten, and unfortunately, the abuse only seems to escalate along with her successful career as a female athlete.

In a recent interview in the Swedish evening paper Aftonbladet, she describes how men flirt, comment her figure, make indecent proposals or even send her images of their private parts or online rape videos. She shares the frustration of not being taken seriously in her handball career. In spite of all hard work to reach top levels, focus seems to lie on her beautiful legs in short tights.

In order to enlighten the abuse of which she and many other women have been subject to on a daily basis, Linnéa started an Instagram account – Assholesonline – where she shares screen dumps of the conversations she has had with various men. She responds to the harassing comments with brilliant and disarming humor, and by so doing, takes control over the conversation and highlights the fact that the responsibility lies with the men who approach her.

Among other things, she has published ten tips to avoid rape, one of which is: “do not go home alone at night if you think you might rape someone who is walking alone. Ask a friend to accompany you, or, call someone you can talk to until you reach your door, so that you get home safely. Better safe than raping someone, as I usually say.”

Earlier this year, Center for Sports and Business at SSE founded the platform Swedish Alliance for Women in Sport (SAFWIS) together with Cruyffs Institute, GIH, Girls in Sport and Elitfotboll Dam. SAFWIS has appointed Linnéa to Female Role Model for the following reason: “Linnéa Claeson is a striking rising handball star in Sweden who already has a Junior World Championship gold medal on her merit list. Linnéa has had the courage to fight online sexual harassment and is a true inspiration when it comes to standing up for yourself and for a more equal world”.