Reporter beats fan with her microphone after being groped at a football match

When the #MeToo hashtag started trending on social media last year, many people were surprised to find out how common it is to experience sexual assault as a woman - sometimes to the extent that they simply didn't believe it could be so prevalent. For those who had experienced it, though, the widespread nature of abuse and inappropriate behavior really didn't come as a surprise.

Indeed, for a lot of women, sexual assault is just something we've come to see as a fact of life. It shouldn't be that way, but it is.

We're taught to dress "modestly", to be careful when walking home at night, and to basically police ourselves so that someone doesn't take advantage of us or somehow "get the wrong message" when it comes to engaging in sexual contact. But, even after all that, sexual assault still happens (which - here's a thought - might just imply that women aren't actually the problem).

Thankfully, abusers are being called out more and more often these days; sometimes while live on TV.

Credit: YouTube/SuperfutboleroTV

Maria Fernanda Mora, a news reporter, was presenting live outside the Guadalajara stadium in Mexico this week when a man standing behind her decided to touch her inappropriately.

The local team had just won against Toronto, and so fans were rallying around Mora as she delivered a piece to camera. At first, there were only a couple of men standing beside her. However, as the crowd began to gather, they became rowdy, and a man standing directly behind the reporter could clearly be seen eyeing her up for something.

Then, almost without warning, Mora cut herself off in order to turn around and push the man and hit him with her microphone.

At first, nobody was sure what exactly had transpired. However, as the reporter looked visibly distressed after the altercation, it soon became clear that he had done something to upset her.

Credit: YouTube/SuperfutboleroTV

In a statement on Twitter, Mora defended her actions:

"What happened to me at dawn on Thursday, happens to thousands of women every day in public spaces," she said. "The difference is that it happened to me during a live link on television and I decided to defend myself. My reaction is what turned the fact into something viral.

"I thought, It could be an accidental rubbing because of people’s pushing and I kept talking to the camera. This guy, emboldened because I did not react and kept doing my job, put his hand between my buttocks twice more. I decided to defend myself."

Her original reaction and the subsequent statement that followed very quickly went viral, urging several other high profile presenters in Mexico to come forward in support of Mora.

Obviously, to see such a strong reaction on live TV must have been pretty jarring for viewers - not to mention traumatic for Mora herself; but, hopefully, the incident has proven to people that sexual assault is a real problem, and women are not standing for it anymore.