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Male chauvinism in Mexico is so pervasive that not one the head of state is safe,” stated a professor and feminist, expressing a feeling shared by many women across the nation. This comes after a viral video showed a drunk man molesting the country’s first female president as she strolled from the National Palace to the department of education. The president, who has pressed charges against the assailant, remarked at a press briefing: “If they do this to the president, what happens to all the other women in the country?”

Historic Position Highlights on Pervasive Gender-Based Violence

The president’s unprecedented role has made this a teaching moment in a society where sexual harassment and assault on public spaces and buses and trains are frequently accepted and not taken seriously. Meanwhile, political opponents have claimed the assault was orchestrated to divert attention from the recent assassination of a city leader, a critic of organized crime. Yet, most women understand that sexual violence need not be manufactured—research indicate that half of Mexican women have experienced it at one time or another in their lives.

Navigating Public Engagement and Safety

The president, like her predecessor, is known for wading into crowds, shaking hands, and posing for selfies. It was during one such interaction that she was groped. “This is a delicate equilibrium between being safe and maintaining proximity to the public,” explained Ishtar Cardona. For a woman leader, it’s a sobering realization that you often can’t win.

Those raised in a deeply conservative manner where patriarchal structure are accepted, a female leader such as the president, who is a scientist and a leftist, represents all that macho men in Mexico despise,” Cardona explained.

Shared Experiences of Assault and Resistance

Sexual assault is not unique to this nation, of course. Talking about the leader’s experience opened a flood of memories and shared accounts among women. When Cardona spoke about urging her students not to freeze when groped, she heard about personal experiences, such as a case where a individual was assaulted on two occasions during a religious pilgrimage. Similarly, accounts of resisting—like physically confronting a groper in a club—underscore a increasing global trend of women refusing to stay silent.

Shattering Silence and Embracing Outrage

Maybe this incident will mark a turning point for Mexican women. “For about a decade, we’ve been breaking the silence, but it’s very tough,” Cardona remarked. “A lot of women are ashamed, but now we are able to talk about it with more freedom.” She often discusses with her class the measures she takes when going out, such as thinking about clothing to avoid unwanted advances. And she asks a query to her male students: “Have you ever considered about that?” The answer is always no.

Now, after the president’s violation recorded on video and viewed globally, can Mexican men start to reconsider? Cardona urges everyone: “It’s essential to harness the outrage!”

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