🔗 Share this article

“Machismo in Mexico is so pervasive that not one the head of state is safe,” stated Caterina Camastra, expressing a feeling echoed by many women throughout the nation. This comes after a widely circulated footage showed a drunk man groping Claudia Sheinbaum as she strolled from the National Palace to the department of education. Sheinbaum, who has filed a complaint against the perpetrator, remarked at a press briefing: “When this happens to the president, what happens to every other women in the nation?”

Unprecedented Situation Highlights on Pervasive Gender-Based Violence

The president’s unprecedented role has made this a learning opportunity in a society where sexual harassment and assault on streets and buses and trains are often accepted and dismissed. Meanwhile, rival factions have claimed the incident was staged to divert attention from the recently assassination of a local mayor, Carlos Manzo. Yet, most women know that gender-based aggression need not be manufactured—research indicate that half of Mexican women have faced it at one time or another in their lives.

Navigating Accessibility and Security

Sheinbaum, like her preceding leader, is recognized for mixing with the public, greeting people, and posing for selfies. She was such an encounter that she was assaulted. “This is a fragile balance between being safe and maintaining proximity to the people,” explained a sociologist specializing in cultural studies. As a female president, it’s a sobering realization that frequently can’t win.

“For people brought up in a very traditional manner where patriarchal structure are accepted, a female leader such as the president, who is a scientist and a leftist, represents everything macho men in Mexico despise,” Cardona elaborated.

Common Stories of Violation and Fighting Back

Gender-based violence is not limited to this nation, naturally. Talking about the president’s ordeal opened a flood of recollections and shared accounts among female individuals. As the expert mentioned advising her pupils not to freeze when assaulted, she heard about personal incidents, such as a case where a individual was assaulted twice during a holy journey. Similarly, accounts of resisting—like beating up a assailant in a nightspot—highlight a increasing global movement of women rejecting to remain passive.

Shattering Taboos and Channeling Anger

Perhaps this incident will mark a critical moment for women across Mexico. “We have been challenging the taboo, but it’s very tough,” Cardona remarked. “Many women are ashamed, but today we can discuss it with more freedom.” The expert routinely discusses with her students the precautions she employs when leaving home, such as considering attire to avoid unwanted advances. She poses a question to her male students: “Did you ever thought about that?” The answer is invariably no.

Today, after the president’s assault recorded on video and seen globally, can Mexican men start to reconsider? The sociologist encourages all: “It’s essential to harness the outrage!”

One thing is evident: Those who resist make their assailants remember.