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“Machismo in the nation is so deeply rooted that not one the president is safe,” declared a professor and feminist, voicing a sentiment shared by many women across the country. This follows after a widely circulated footage showed a drunk man groping Claudia Sheinbaum as she walked from the National Palace to the education ministry. The president, who has filed a complaint against the assailant, remarked at a media conference: “When this happens to the president, what happens to all the other women in the country?”

Historic Position Highlights on Widespread Gender-Based Violence

Sheinbaum’s historic role has made this a teaching moment in a culture where unwanted advances and physical violation on public spaces and buses and trains are often normalized and not taken seriously. Meanwhile, rival factions have claimed the assault was orchestrated to shift focus from the recent assassination of a city leader, a critic of organized crime. However, the majority of women know that sexual violence need not be manufactured—studies indicate that half of women in Mexico have experienced it at some point in their lifetimes.

Navigating Accessibility and Safety

Sheinbaum, like her predecessor, is known for mixing with the public, greeting people, and posing for selfies. It was during one such encounter that she was assaulted. “This is a fragile balance between being safe and maintaining proximity to the public,” explained a sociologist specializing in cultural studies. As a woman leader, it’s a stark realization that frequently face no-win situations.

“For people raised 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 traditional males in the country despise,” Cardona explained.

Common Stories of Assault and Resistance

Gender-based violence is not unique to this nation, naturally. Talking about the leader’s ordeal opened a flood of recollections and shared stories among female individuals. When Cardona mentioned advising her pupils to react when groped, she heard about firsthand incidents, such as one where a woman was assaulted twice during a holy journey. Similarly, accounts of fighting back—like beating up a groper in a nightspot—underscore a increasing worldwide movement of females rejecting to remain passive.

Shattering Taboos and Channeling Anger

Perhaps this incident will mark a critical moment for women across Mexico. “For about a decade, we’ve been challenging the silence, but it’s incredibly difficult,” the sociologist remarked. “A lot of women are ashamed, but now we can discuss it with more freedom.” The expert often shares with her students the measures she employs when going out, such as thinking about clothing to avoid harassment. And she asks a question to her male pupils: “Did you ever thought about that?” Their response is always no.

Today, after the president’s assault captured on video and viewed globally, can men in Mexico start to reconsider? Cardona encourages everyone: “It’s essential to embrace the outrage!”

One thing is clear: Those who fight back make their assailants remember.