Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that she intends to file a complaint towards a individual that groped the president during a open-air appearance.
Cell phone video from the Tuesday encounter shows Sheinbaum conversing to a crowd of supporters on a street close to the National Palace within the capital.
In the video, a man approaches Sheinbaum from the rear and attempts to kiss her on the neck and put his arms on her body.
Sheinbaum stepped away quickly and a member of her security stepped in, however Sheinbaum appeared distressed. The offender has been detained.
Sheinbaum's Remarks on Decision to File Complaint
"I believe stands as, if I don't file a complaint, what could happen to other Mexican women? When this happens to such an act to the president, what will happen to all women in our country?" the president said during a news conference on Wednesday.
"My decision to press charges because that was an experience which I experienced as a woman, yet something we as females experience throughout our country," she said. "I have experienced it previously, when I wasn't in office, when I had been a student."
The president noted that she had decided to move forward in bringing charges against the suspect because he had allegedly bothered other women among the crowd.
"A line needs to be drawn," she said.
Background of Gender Abuse in Mexico
Female advocacy organizations and feminist commentators have said this event highlights the extent of deep-rooted male chauvinism in Mexico's society, where a male believes he has the entitlement to accost including the president when she's a woman.
Femicide remains a huge problem throughout Mexico, where a staggering 98% of sex-based killings believed to go unpunished.
Sheinbaum vowed to address this problem as a candidate, yet up to now during her term there has been no noticeable progress in that type of deadly crime.
Security Issues Regarding Politicians
This event also comes during discussions concerning presidential security and the broader safety for politicians.
In office, the leader has broadly adopted the method from the former president, AMLO, by having direct and regular contact among the public on the streets or at campaign events.
On occasion, that has raised security worries within her staff. However, Sheinbaum reiterated in her news conference she had no plan to alter her policy of interacting with her supporters.
The incident also happened only a few days after the murder of Carlos Manzo, the mayor from Uruapan, a municipality in the troubled region of Michoacan, during the local Day of the Dead celebrations.
The mayor had called on the president for greater national support in Uruapan in the fight with cartel groups. Approximately thirty-five aspirants lost their lives during the lead up before the national vote the previous year in what's been viewed as the most violent electoral season in modern Mexican history.
Since assuming the presidency, Sheinbaum has achieved progress towards bettering the country's serious security condition, especially cracking down on fentanyl smuggling – an important concern with the United States leader, President Trump.
