Overview
- President Claudia Sheinbaum promulgated changes to Federal Penal Code articles 260 and 266 Bis, with publication on March 14 making sexual abuse pursued ex officio across the country.
- The reform clarifies that consent cannot be inferred from silence, passivity or lack of resistance and specifies that violence, intimidation, deception, threats, abuse of trust or authority, or vulnerability nullify consent.
- Penalties remain at three to seven years in prison with fines of 200 to 500 UMA, with aggravating factors potentially increasing sentences.
- The federal government, citing coordination under the Pacto de Xicoténcatl, reports that by March 10 at least 15 states had harmonized their laws following local approvals.
- A separate review cited by La Crónica and the Senate’s IBD finds only seven entities have approved and promulgated compliant changes, with many others still in committee or not yet published, including examples such as approvals pending promulgation in Baja California Sur, Tamaulipas and Yucatán and non‑aligned reforms in Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosí.