Mexican President Sheinbaum Brings Cases Of Harassment Against Him To Legal Area

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. (Wikimedia Commons/EneasMx)

JAKARTA - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum brought a case of abuse against her by a man into the realm of law, asserting harassment is a crime.

President Sheinbaum experienced harassment on Tuesday by a "driving" man, an event he called an "attack on all women."

The incident came as a man broke through a crowd welcoming President Sheinbaum in Mexico City and seemed to be touching him, according to viral footage of the incident.

The video shows a man approaching President Sheinbaum and harassing him. The incident ended when one of his main aides, Juan

"I decided to file a lawsuit because this is something I experienced as a woman something that all women in our country experienced," he said.

"No man has the right to violate that space," he said.

Perpetrators were arrested at night according to Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada, and detained at the Sexual Crime Investigation Unit.

Mexico City Police said preliminary findings linked the individual to allegations of harassment against two other women on the same day.

The lawsuit against the perpetrators was filed by President Sheinbaum at the Mexican Attorney General's Office.

President Sheinbaum revealed this is not the first time he has been abused. In 2021, as mayor of Mexico City, she shared a video for International Women's Day where she reminisced about her experience of being harassed in public transport at the age of 12 and being harassed by a professor when she was a student.

The incident experienced by President Sheinbaum raises questions about his security. It comes just days after the brutal murder of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo at a public event raised questions about the level of security oversight needed for public officials.

Like its predecessor Manuel L!pez Obrador, President Sheinbaum has chosen not to defend the Presidential Guard, which was dissolved in 2018.

Security analyst Ra bagul Bengetez-Manaut told CNN en Espamenol that the decision left a gap in high-level protection.

"After the disbandment of the Presidential Guard, no special protection system was rebuilt. Sheinbaum relied on a small team of aides, not a professional perimeter security unit," he explained.

Sheinbaum defended her approach on Wednesday. "We can't stay away from society that will deny our identity. Our aides will continue to accompany us, but we must remain close to the residents," he said.

The events experienced by President Sheinbaum show deep-rooted national problems. According to a 2021 national survey conducted by the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 70.1 percent of Mexican women aged 15 years and over have experienced at least one form of violence, with 49.1 percent of them reporting sexual violence.

President Sheinbaum said on Wednesday he would work closely with the Women's Secretariat to review whether harassment was criminalized in all states of Mexico and launched a national campaign against harassment.

"There must be respect for women in every way," he said.

"Harassment is a crime and it's time for everyone in this country to understand it," he said.