Claudia Sheinbaum Harassment Incident Highlights Violence Against Women in Mexico
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was harassed on Tuesday afternoon while walking through Mexico City’s downtown area. A man approached her unexpectedly, attempted to kiss her, and touched her breast in front of a crowd that reacted too slowly to intervene.
The situation was stopped when Juan José Ramírez Mendoza, head of the General Directorate of Aides-de-Camp — the team responsible for accompanying the president during public activities — stepped between Sheinbaum and the aggressor. Bystanders recorded the incident on their phones.
The slow response from the president’s security detail has renewed public discussion on the adequacy of her protection. Sheinbaum, following the example of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has declined to use a traditional Presidential Guard.
The attack took place amid heightened concerns about public safety, particularly after the recent assassination of Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, during a public event.
“Incidents like the one the president experienced this Tuesday happen every day to women of all ages in every corner of Mexico. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 45% of women in Mexico have been victims of street harassment.”
Author’s Summary
The assault on President Sheinbaum reveals the persistent vulnerability of women in Mexico and reignites debate over both gender violence and presidential security measures.