Mexico’s Sheinbaum calls for national sexual harassment law after street assault

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has vowed to make sexual harassment a criminal offence across all 32 states after being groped by a man while greeting supporters outside the presidential palace in Mexico City.

The 63-year-old president, Mexico’s first woman to hold the office, filed a formal complaint against the attacker, a drunk man who wrapped an arm around her shoulders, touched her hip and chest, and tried to kiss her neck before she pushed him away. The moment, captured on camera, has sparked outrage nationwide.

“My thinking is: If I don’t file a complaint, what becomes of other Mexican women? If this happens to the president, what will happen to all the women in our country?” Sheinbaum told reporters at her morning news conference.

The man was later arrested.

In a post on social media, Sheinbaum said the incident reflected what “many women experience in the country and in the world”, adding:

“No one can violate our body and personal space. We will review the legislation so that this crime is punishable in all 32 states.”

Sheinbaum said the assault happened as she walked from the National Palace to the Education Ministry, a five-minute stroll she took to save time rather than drive. She also urged states to make it easier for women to report harassment and insisted that “women’s personal space must not be violated”.

While Mexico City already criminalises sexual harassment, many Mexican states do not. Sheinbaum pledged to push a national campaign to close those gaps.

Rights groups say sexual harassment and gender-based violence remain endemic in Mexico, where about 10 women are killed every day and roughly 70 percent of women over 15 have experienced some form of harassment, according to the United Nations.

The assault has also renewed questions about Sheinbaum’s security approach. Critics argue her insistence on maintaining close contact with the public exposes her to risk, especially in a country where politicians are frequent targets of violence.

Sheinbaum, however, rejected suggestions she should distance herself from supporters. “I won’t change the way I engage with people,” she said.