Mexico Harassment Incident: President Claudia Sheinbaum Calls for Action
Incident Overview
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum was recently groped by a man during a public walk in Mexico City, an event that quickly sparked national outrage. This disturbing incident, captured on video, shows the president being touched inappropriately in broad daylight, highlighting the pervasive issue of harassment women face daily in Mexico.
President's Response
In response, President Sheinbaum pressed charges against the assailant, emphasizing that this experience reflects the reality for many women across the country. She stated, “If this can happen to the president, what can we expect for all the young women in our country?” Her action underlines a strong stance against gender violence and the urgent need for systemic reform.
Broader Implications
This incident has reignited conversations about Mexico’s gender violence crisis, where a majority of women face abuse and many suffer fatal violence daily. Despite government promises, impunity remains high, making the president’s experience a powerful call for accountability and enhanced protection for all women.
About the People Mentioned
Claudia Sheinbaum
**Claudia Sheinbaum** is a Mexican politician, environmental engineer, and climate scientist who has served as the 66th President of Mexico since October 2024[2]. She is the first woman and first Jewish person to hold the office[2][3]. Born on June 24, 1962, in Mexico City, Sheinbaum comes from a family of scientists[1]. Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Bulgaria[1]. She earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1989, followed by a master's degree in 1994 and a Ph.D. in energy engineering in 1995, also from UNAM[4]. During her doctoral research in the 1990s, she spent four years at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on energy engineering[1]. Sheinbaum's political career began in 2000 when she was appointed environment secretary of Mexico City under then-mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador[1]. She served as delegational chief (mayor) of Tlalpan, the largest borough in Mexico City, from 2015 to 2017[1]. In 2018, she became Head of Government of Mexico City, becoming the first elected female head of government and the first Jewish person to hold the position[2]. During her tenure as Mexico City's mayor until 2023, she focused on security, public transport, and social programs while managing major crises including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Mexico City Metro overpass collapse[2]. Sheinbaum's scientific contributions include membership in the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007[4]. She authored over 100 articles and two books on energy, the environment, and sustainable development[4]. In the 2024 presidential election, Sheinbaum won a landslide victory as the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) candidate[2]. As president, she enacted constitutional reforms including enshrining social programs into the Constitution and reversing aspects of the 2013 energy reform to strengthen state control over the energy sector[2]. In 2025, Forbes ranked her as the fifth most powerful woman in the world[2].
