Claudia Sheinbaum, 63, filed a complaint after a man groped her near the National Palace in Mexico City; the suspect was arrested and footage of the incident circulated widely. Sheinbaum has called for sexual harassment to be criminalized across all 32 Mexican states and announced a campaign to improve reporting and penalties. The episode highlighted concerns about her security and underscored Mexico’s wider crisis of violence against women, with the UN noting high rates of harassment and femicide.
President Sheinbaum Files Complaint After Street Groping, Urges Nationwide Criminalization of Harassment
Claudia Sheinbaum, 63, filed a complaint after a man groped her near the National Palace in Mexico City; the suspect was arrested and footage of the incident circulated widely. Sheinbaum has called for sexual harassment to be criminalized across all 32 Mexican states and announced a campaign to improve reporting and penalties. The episode highlighted concerns about her security and underscored Mexico’s wider crisis of violence against women, with the UN noting high rates of harassment and femicide.
07:43, 06.11.2025Politics
President Sheinbaum Files Complaint After Street Groping
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, 63, has filed a formal complaint after a man groped her while she was greeting supporters near the National Palace in Mexico City. The episode, captured on camera, shows a drunken man put an arm around her shoulder while using his other hand to touch her hip and chest and attempting to kiss her neck; the suspect was later arrested.
Sheinbaum removed the man’s hands before a member of her staff intervened. She noted that her security detail did not appear to be close by at the moment the assault occurred. At her regular morning news conference she asked:
"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?"
The president said she will push for a nationwide review of sexual harassment laws so the offence is punishable in all 32 states. In a social media post she wrote: "No one can violate our body and personal space." She also announced plans to launch a public campaign to make reporting easier and to harmonize penalties across states.
This incident has renewed focus on Mexico’s broader crisis of violence against women. Rights groups warn of a femicide emergency, and the United Nations reports an average of 10 women are murdered each day in Mexico. The UN also estimates that roughly 70% of Mexican women aged 15 and over will experience at least one incident of sexual harassment in their lives.
Sheinbaum said the episode would not change how she engages with the public; she had chosen to walk a five-minute route from the National Palace to the Education Ministry rather than take a 20-minute car ride. While some critics highlighted lapses in her security arrangements, the president emphasized the need for legal reform and better reporting procedures so women can seek justice nationwide.