Will the public sexual assault of the president mark a turning point for women in Mexico?

总统被公然性侵是否将成为墨西哥女性转变的转折点?

Today in Focus

2025-11-20

22 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

What will it take to improve women’s safety in Mexico? With Estefanía Vela Barba and Ann Deslandes. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • This is The Guardian.

  • Today, will a sexual assault caught on camera mark a turning point for Mexico's women?

  • It's the middle of the day on a street in downtown Mexico City.

  • and a woman is standing, chatting to a group of people.

  • Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man stumbles up to her.

  • Without saying a word, he starts grabbing at her from behind,

  • trying to kiss her neck, his hands on her body and chest.

  • The whole thing is so casual.

  • It's gross.

  • But it's a scene that will be familiar to a lot of women listening.

  • Yet what's also shocking is that this woman is one of the most powerful people in the world.

  • The woman being assaulted is Claudia Schoenbaum, Mexico's president.

  • So you can actually see the video of those three seconds where the guy is trying to kiss the president and how she reacts quite gracefully.

  • Is that quite strongly but gracefully?

  • She just removes his hands.

  • A few seconds where your body isn't yours.

  • What you think, what you want, it doesn't matter.

  • If this is happening to the president,

  • Can you imagine the types of things that are happening to women with less power?

  • Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a woman.