Mexico's First Woman President Was Groped By A Man In The Street And Pressed Charges Against Him
"I decided to press charges because this is something that I experienced as a woman, but that we as women experience in our country,"
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum was groped by a drunk man during a public appearance in Mexico City, and now she is pressing charges against him.
A video of the incident circulating online showed Sheinbaum speaking to supporters near the National Palace on Tuesday, Nov. 4, when a man approached her from behind, attempted to kiss her neck and touched her inappropriately.
Sheinbaum quickly moved away while her team intervened.
The 63-year-old, who is the first woman president of Mexico, announced on Wednesday, Nov. 5, she would press charges to set an example for women in Mexico, adding that the man reportedly harassed other women in the crowd.
"My view is, if I don't file a complaint, what will happen to other Mexican women? If they do this to the president, what will happen to all women in our country?” Sheinbaum said.
"I decided to press charges because this is something that I experienced as a woman, but that we as women experience in our country," she added.
Sheibaum said that she experienced similar harassment before as a student before becoming president and called on states across Mexico to look at their laws and procedures to make it easier for women to report such assaults.
Mexico’s 32 states and Mexico City, which is a federal entity, all have their own criminal codes, and not all states consider sexual harassment a crime.
“A line must be drawn. It should be a criminal offence, and we are going to launch a campaign,” Sheinbaum said.
She said Mexicans needed to hear a “loud and clear, no, women’s personal space must not be violated”.
She also said in her speech that she had no intention of increasing her security or changing her policy of interacting closely with her supporters.
Women's rights groups said the incident shows the extent of ingrained machismo in Mexican society, where a man believes he has the right to accost even the president if she is a woman, according to BBC.
About 10 women or girls are murdered in Mexico every day, according to the UN.
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