President Claudia Sheinbaum pushes for nationwide sexual harassment legislation after being groped, highlighting Mexico’s women’s safety crisis
MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has called for sexual harassment to be criminalised nationwide after being groped on the street.
The 63-year-old leader was attacked while greeting supporters near the presidential palace on Tuesday.
A drunken man approached her, put his arm around her shoulder, and touched her hip and chest while attempting to kiss her neck.
Presidential security personnel pulled the assailant away from Mexico’s first woman president.
Sheinbaum initially appeared confused by the incident, even agreeing to take a picture with the man before realising what happened.
“This person approached, completely intoxicated…it wasn’t until I saw the videos later that I realised what had really happened,” she said Wednesday.
The individual was later arrested and charged with harassment, a category enforced in the capital and about 20 Mexican states.
The incident highlighted Mexico’s troubling record on women’s safety, with sexual harassment commonplace nationwide.
Approximately 70% of Mexican women aged 15 and over will experience at least one incident of sexual harassment in their lives, according to United Nations data.
The UN reports an average of 10 women are murdered daily in Mexico.
Sheinbaum said she pressed charges and would review nationwide legislation on sexual harassment.
“My thinking is: if I don’t file a complaint, what becomes of other Mexican women? If this happens to the president, what will happen to all the women in our country?” she told her regular morning press conference.
Mexico’s 32 states and Mexico City all maintain separate penal codes, with not all states considering sexual harassment a crime.
“It should be a criminal offense, and we are going to launch a campaign,” Sheinbaum said, revealing she had suffered similar attacks in her youth.
Feminist groups noted such incidents represent daily reality for many Mexican women.
“Every day they are experiencing this situation of harassment, of intimidation,” said Veronica Cruz of Las Libres feminist collective.
The attack drew criticism of Sheinbaum’s security detail and her insistence on maintaining public intimacy despite cartel violence targeting politicians.
Former anti-drug prosecutor Samuel Gonzalez called the incident “very worrying,” saying it signaled presidential vulnerability to criminals.
Security analyst David Saucedo said her guards “should check that anyone approaching her is not intoxicated or armed.”
Despite concerns, the former Mexico City mayor has ruled out increasing her security.
“If there’s no risk to us, we’ll continue as we have been. We need to be close to the people,” she said. – AFP
