Mexican women outraged by public sexual assault on their president

"The groping of Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum by a drunken man has sparked outrage among women, many of whom saw their own fears and experiences reflected in her plight. 'If the president suffered assault with that level of protection and those guards it means that all of us women can be assaulted at any moment,' said Patricia Reyes, a 20-year-old student. The incident took place on Tuesday while Sheinbaum was walking through a crowd in Mexico City."

"The man was later arrested and Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that she would press for charges. 'This is something I experienced as a woman, but it is something that all women in our country experience,' she said in her daily press conference. 'If I don't file a complaint, where does that leave all Mexican women? If they do this to the president, what happens to all the other women in the country?'"

"The incident touched off particular furore given the high levels of violence faced by women in Mexico, where an average of 10 are killed every day. In the first six months of this year, more than 500 women were murdered because of their gender in a crime known as femicide. 'The issue of assault is like the base level on the violence thermometer and it culminates in femicide,' said De la Rosa. So living in a femicidal country, the issue of assault is always there."

Claudia Sheinbaum was groped by a drunken man while walking through a crowd in Mexico City; she removed his hands and an aide intervened. The man was arrested and she said she would press charges, framing the assault as an experience shared by many Mexican women and a threat to all. The incident sparked outrage and personal resonance among women, amplifying concerns about routine assaults. Mexico faces high levels of gender violence, with an average of 10 women killed daily and over 500 suspected femicides in six months, fueling large feminist protests and political indignation.

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