Mexico’s president presses charges after street groping incident

‘Re-victimization’

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Sheinbaum blasts Mexican newspaper to reform She said that because she had posted pictures of the man who groped her, it was a “re-victimization” and that she had crossed the ethical line.

Pointing to legislation against digital violence, the President said, “The use of images is also a crime.” “I expect an apology from the newspaper”

The federal government’s Ministry of Women, created under Sheinbaum’s direction, issued a statement Tuesday encouraging women to report violence against them but asking media organizations “not to reproduce content that violates the integrity of women.”

Still, feminist activists have harshly criticized Sheinbaum in the past for not doing enough to address violence against women. Among other things, they point out that prosecutions and investigations into femicide (the killing of a woman because of her gender) are inadequate.

According to government data, 821 women and girls were killed in Mexico in 2024. By September of this year, 501 deaths had been recorded, and many advocates say those figures are likely far underestimates.

Ana Yeli Perez of the National Femicide Observatory said Sheinbaum’s groping brought the issue of violence against women back to the national agenda.

“This is reprehensible, it should be condemned, it should be named because it is an act of violence, but it is also an important event and a symbol of what women go through every day,” she said.

Sheinbaum said sexual harassment should be a “crime punishable by law,” adding that she asked the Department of Women to review the legal rules in each state.

Sexual harassment is a crime in about half of Mexican states and Mexico City.

Marina Reyna, executive director of the Guerrero Association Against Violence Against Women, said that while watching the video, she initially worried that Sheinbaum was minimizing the attack by continuing to smile and talk calmly to the man. But he hoped the president’s willingness to talk about the issue on Wednesday would change the way such cases are handled.

“You lose trust in institutions,” Reyna said. “People stop reporting it because when you report it, nothing happens.”

AP, Reuters

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