Claudia Sheinbaum Presses Charges Against Man Who Groped Her

Women around the world have dealt with misogyny and sexual harassment and assault throughout history. Despite all the steps taken toward furthering women’s autonomy and equality, it seems like none of us are truly safe from these situations no matter how high-profile you become, what positions you hold or how far you get in life as a woman. Recently, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum was groped while walking in Mexico City by a drunk man, and she is now pressing charges against the offender and standing up for Mexicanas who have also been sexually harassed.

On Tuesday, November 4, the 63-year-old leader was walking near the National Palace in Mexico and stopped to shake hands and take pictures with a group of supporters. Suddenly, a man approached la Presidenta from behind, attempting to kiss her neck and put his hands on her chest and hip as shown in videos capturing the incident.

Sheinbaum’s security team quickly intervened and removed the man, who appeared to be intoxicated, but she was visibly shaken as she moved away from him. According to Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada, the man has now been arrested.  During a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 5, Sheinbaum announced that she will press charges against the man, saying that she didn’t truly realize what had happened until she saw videos capturing the incident:

“I decided to press charges because this is something that I experienced as a woman, but that we as women experience in our country,” Sheinbaum said. “If this happens to the president walking down the street, then what happens to all the other young women?”

She also told reporters that it represents an assault on all Mexican women who have experienced similar incidents, saying that situations like this shouldn’t happen to any woman in Mexico and that “a line must be drawn.” 

“This is something that shouldn’t happen; no one has the right to violate our personal space… No man has the right to violate that space,” Sheinbaum stated. “This is about women’s dignity and the recognition of our rights… It’s a matter of defending all Mexican women, especially young women who often experience this on the streets of Mexico City and in other cities around the country.”

Sheinbaum also shared that she had “experienced it before” when she was a student. Additionally, she said she will continue to make herself available to the public to “be close to the people” and called for sexual harassment and groping to become a “criminal offense in all states.” The incident has reignited wider conversations on machismo and women’s safety in Mexico.

Around 70.1 percent of Mexican women over the age of 15 had experienced sexual, psychological, economic or physical violence at least once in their life according to a 2021 report by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Femicide is also a huge issue in Mexico, where 98 percent of gender-based murders go unpunished as reported by BBC.