Mexico Divided Over Assault on President: Experts Highlight Gender Violence Normalization

The lukewarm and divided response within Mexico to the recent sexual assault on President Claudia Sheinbaum highlights the normalization of gender violence in the country, experts say. Sheinbaum disclosed on Thursday that she had filed a criminal complaint against Uriel Rivera Martinez, 33, the man who was caught on widely shared cell phone footage groping and attempting to kiss her as she moved between the National Palace and the Ministry of Education.

In Canada, such an incident would likely be treated as a sexual assault due to the unwelcome sexual touching involved. Despite gaining global attention, the event was downplayed domestically and framed as a security lapse on Sheinbaum’s part, occurring shortly after the high-profile assassination of Michoacán mayor Carlos Manzo.

According to Amneris Chaparro Martínez, a director and researcher at the Centre for Research and Gender Studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the incident underscores the normalization of gender violence in the country. During a press conference, Minerva Citlalli Hernández Mora, the Secretary for Women, revealed that there are over 25,000 ongoing investigations into sexual violence against women.

Sheinbaum and Hernández Mora announced plans to launch an initiative on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, aimed at enhancing the institutional response to such violence nationwide. Chaparro Martínez emphasized the vulnerability of women to harassment, as even the country’s president faced such behavior in public spaces.

Estefania Vela Barba, the executive director of Intersecta, a feminist human rights organization in Mexico City, noted the political polarization in the country has distorted the gender violence aspect of the incident against Sheinbaum. Despite social media speculation, Sheinbaum’s direct and transparent approach in addressing the incident was seen as a positive step towards accountability and visibility for the issue of gender violence.

Vela Barba praised Sheinbaum’s swift response and public condemnation of the assault, highlighting the importance of shedding light on such incidents and the empowerment that comes from strong leadership denouncing such acts.