This article discusses sexual violence and may be distressing for some readers.
Women can arm themselves with as much success, power, and physical bodyguards as possible, but nothing seems to spare them from sexual violence.
On Nov. 4, the Mexican President Claudia Shienbaum was groped while walking through a crowd in Mexico City. The incident highlights that not even women in power are safe from the machismo culture in Mexico that gives men a sense of entitlement to women’s bodies. If this type of thing can happen to the president of the country in broad daylight, you can only imagine how often it happens behind closed doors. That said, we shouldn’t set the standard that women in power are “safe” from sexual assault. Clearly, no one is.
In the face of right-wing criticism that the event was staged, it’s brave of Shienbaum to be pressing charges. It’s unfortunate that there always seems to be someone ready to deny the violence that women experience daily.
For critics who say she shouldn’t have been walking through a crowd of citizens, there was really no winning for Shienbaum. If she stayed at arm’s length from her constituency, she would’ve been criticized for being remote, but when she got too close, she was treated inappropriately.
In an opinion published by The Guardian, Mona Eltahawy points out that more women need to fight back against their assailants. “That man who groped me in a club will always remember the woman who beat him up,” writes Eltahawy. Though self-defence is important, and fighting back can be liberating, it’s not a permanent solution. The burden of protecting themselves shouldn’t be on women; it should be on everyone to raise the next generation of men right.
It’s not only in Mexico; 4.7 million women in Canada have reported being sexually assaulted in their lifetime. The narrative that exclusively Mexican culture bred this kind of violence couldn’t be further from the truth. Ultra-masculine culture has, for too long, resulted in violence against women. The violent imagery in pornography shown and shared amongst young boys enforces the narrative that sex and violence are somehow connected. This is just one of many examples of how cultural influences can manifest themselves in the mistreatment of women, regardless of their position.
The burden of finding a solution to gender-based violence shouldn’t be on women, who are forced to point to case after case of sexual misconduct. Women are tired of belabouring the point that this happens all the time.
81 per cent of women have reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime, and these are only the ones who were able to report it. On average, only six per cent of sexual assaults are reported.
Shienbaum’s case is, unfortunately, one of many, and there needs to be more efforts made to end gender-based violence.
—Journal Editorial Board
Tags
assault, Mexican President, sexual violence
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