President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced on Tuesday that her administration will promote a reform to classify sexual harassment as a criminal offense throughout Mexico, in order to strengthen the protection and rights of women.
During her morning press conference, the President explained that after being a victim of sexual harassment the previous day, she instructed Minister for Women Citlalli Hernández Mora to review current state legislation and propose the necessary changes.
“I instructed the Minister for Women to review whether sexual harassment is classified as a criminal offense in all states, because it must be a punishable crime,” Sheinbaum stated.
The President confirmed that she filed a complaint with the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office and that the perpetrator has already been detained.
“If this can happen to the president walking down the street, imagine what happens to young women. We cannot let this pass. This is about dignity and the recognition of our rights,” she emphasized.
Sheinbaum announced that the federal government will launch a national campaign to prevent sexual harassment, focused on defending women’s rights and eradicating gender-based violence.
“It will not be about me, but about all Mexican women,” the President explained.
She recalled that during her tenure as mayor of the Mexico City municipality of Tlalpan, she created the campaign “It’s not a custom, it’s violence”, which aimed to raise awareness among young people about normalized behaviors such as sexual harassment and street aggression.
“We published a Women’s Rights Charter precisely to make visible the types of violence that many women experience every day,” she explained.
The President criticized the newspaper Reforma for publishing images of the moment she was sexually harassed, calling it an act of re-victimization and a lack of journalistic ethics.
“Publishing that photograph crosses all limits. It’s a matter of basic human decency. I will not take legal action, but I do expect an apology, because this is not just about me—it’s about all women,” she stated.
Despite the incident, Sheinbaum said she will not increase her personal security, arguing that her government must remain close to the people.
“We cannot be distant from the people. As long as there is no concrete threat, I will continue walking among the population. The people also protect us,” she said.
Mexican Press Agency is part of ALMA, which is dedicated to news and information about Mexico and Mexicans in the United States and is a fiscally sponsored project of Social Focus, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Redwood City, California.
