Claudia Sheinbaum said she has formally filed a complaint after a man inebriatedly grabbed her body and attempted to kiss her while she walked in downtown Mexico City.

Sheinbaum, Mexico's first woman president, described the event as proof that“even a female president is not immune” to sexual harassment. She said the incident occurred as she walked between the Presidential Palace and the Education Ministry.

Video clips circulating online show the man draping his arm around the president's waist, touching her while trying to lean in for a kiss, before aides intervened and the security presence became visible.

The man was arrested later that evening, and Sheinbaum stated she intends to push for nationwide changes to criminalise sexual harassment in all Mexican states.

Gender-rights groups say the episode has ignited renewed scrutiny of women's safety in Mexico, where harassment and femicides remain persistent concerns. In 2024, 821 women were officially killed in femicides, and through September this year 501 more cases were reported.

Sheinbaum made it clear she will not alter her hands-on style of engagement with the public - she said she remains committed to walking among citizens and rejects withdrawing into heightened isolation despite the security breach.

Observers say the episode underscores wider structural problems; limited prosecution of gender-based offences, fragmented state laws, and an environment where public figures remain vulnerable amid broader societal violence.

MENAFN06112025000228011069ID1110303138