What was meant to be a brief walk from Mexico’s National Palace to the Education Ministry for President Claudia Sheinbaum turned into a national spotlight on gender violence after a video captured a drunken man groping the country’s first female president.
On Wednesday, Sheinbaum used her daily press briefing to announce that she had filed charges against the man, urging state authorities to review laws and procedures to make it easier for women to report assaults. “Women’s personal space must not be violated,” she said. She added that pressing charges was a responsibility she felt “for all Mexican women,” questioning, “If this is done to the president, what will happen to the young women in our country?”
The incident highlights a broader problem of street harassment in Mexico. Andrea González Martínez, 27, said she has been harassed on public transportation, once followed home by a man. “It happens regularly, every day,” she said. Her colleague, Carmen Maldonado Castillo, 43, said, “You can’t walk freely on the streets.” Sheinbaum recalled experiencing harassment at age 12 while commuting to school, stressing the prevalence of the issue nationwide.
The president dismissed concerns about her personal security, explaining that she had chosen to walk to avoid a 20-minute car ride in traffic. Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada confirmed the man had been arrested, emphasizing that harassment against any woman — including the nation’s most powerful — is an assault on all women. Brugada said, “This is a commitment to not look the other way, to not allow misogyny to continue, and to prevent further abuse or femicide.”
Activists welcomed Sheinbaum’s response. Lilian Valvuena, 31, said it highlighted the need to better train police in responding to gender violence. Marina Reyna, executive director of the Guerrero Association against Violence toward Women, said the president’s decision to speak out could change how such cases are handled after years of impunity, which she estimated at over 70%.
According to the World Health Organization, one in three women in the Americas experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Federal statistics show that femicides in Mexico dropped nearly 40% in the first seven months of this year compared to 2024, while intentional injuries against women fell by 11%.
Political scientist Manuel Pérez Aguirre said that in Sheinbaum’s case, “a truly exemplary punishment” is needed to send a clear message to sexual aggressors across Mexico.
Source: AP