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Mexico’s Lower House Approves Consent‑Centered Abuse Reform, Sends Harassment and Stalking Measures Forward

The consent‑first overhaul goes to the president for promulgation, with separate sexual harassment and stalking crimes now bound for Senate review.

Overview

  • Deputies voted 431–0 to redefine abuse sexual as any sexual act without consent, explicitly stating that silence, passivity or lack of resistance do not constitute consent.
  • Abuse sexual will be prosecuted ex officio and carry base penalties of three to seven years in prison plus fines, with mandatory re‑education workshops or community service for those convicted.
  • Sentences rise by one third under specified aggravating circumstances, including use of violence, multiple perpetrators, relationships of trust or authority, or when committed by public servants, who also face dismissal and disqualification.
  • The chamber separately approved 440–0 a bill to criminalize sexual harassment with one to three years in prison and stalking with two to four years, including higher penalties for vulnerable victims, and sent it to the Senate.
  • Opposition lawmakers backed the package but criticized cutting the maximum abuse sentence from 10 to seven years and warned that real enforcement will require funding, trained prosecutors and victim services.