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WORLD NEWS Saturday 28 November 2020
Mexico moves to stem unauthorized sharing of sexual images

By MARIA VERZA crimes will be punished.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Ac- The activist group
tivist Olimpia Coral went "Luchadoras" - or "Fighters"-
through an inferno in 2013, said in a study this week
when an ex-boyfriend that women make up 84%
posted sexual images that of the victims of online ha-
made the rounds in her rassment. The report said of
conservative town in Mexi- the more than 2,000 investi-
co. Things got so bad — the gations opened in the last
shaming, the internet bul- three years for unauthor-
lying — that she hid in the ized image sharing, only
trunk of a taxi when going 17% have led to some le-
to her grandmother's house gal consequences, only 24
a few blocks away. cases have been brought
Seven years later, she has to trial and there have
a proposed federal law been only four convictions.
named after her. Mexico's Adina Barrera, a research-
Senate has approved hefty er and adviser on gender
prison time for the filming policy, said "we can ap-
or distribution of sexually plaud the fact that we al-
explicit images without a most have an 'Olimpia's
person's consent or through Law,' but we still have a lot
deceit. of work to do."
Supporters of "Olimpia's "We have to find out where
Law" say it guarantees this violence is happening,
rights to personal privacy Olimpia Coral Melo, right, who became an activist against online sexual harassment and assault how to investigate it, and
and sexual privacy and after a video of her having sex was published online in 2013, speaks with Benito Juarez borough how to handle it," said Bar-
protects the integrity of Mayor Santiago Taboada, during a live broadcast in Mexico City, Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. rera.
women. Associated Press There are some indications
It was the product of many the problem may have
years of struggle by wom- ked, under a headline in threatening and porno- her ex had stolen every- become worse during the
en's groups, who have al- red letters," Coral recalls graphic messages she was thing from her — her peace pandemic. The U.N. wom-
ready convinced about of the months-long ordeal. flooded with. of mind, her ability to walk en's agency says internet
29 of Mexico's 32 states to "I went to bed praying to "Every 'like' (that the video around freely — Olimpia use has increased 50% to
adapt existing laws or pass God I would die." got) was another blow, began acting. 70% during the pandemic,
new ones against the prac- Now, under the new fed- was like getting stabbed She connected with other and with it online violence,
tice. eral law — which still must with a knife, as if you were women who had gone like pornographic incur-
But in 2013, Coral was alone be approved by the lower being raped without being through similar experienc- sions in Zoom calls.
in the town of Huauchinan- house of congress — her ex- penetrated," she recalls. es. At that time, only one But according to Candy
go, a socially conservative boyfriend could get up to Key to her ability to fight Mexican state, Sinaloa, Rodríguez, a representa-
and heavily Indigenous 6 years in prison for having back — and make her case had a law specifically tive of the online platform
area in central Puebla posted the video without a national cause — was the against such crimes. Acoso.online, the surge in
state. The local newspa- her consent. The law also unwavering support of her The National Statistics Insti- internet use helped "us to
per had even published covers media publications mother and grandmother, tute estimates that 9.4 mil- organize, to shed light in
screenshots of the video, and allows for legal orders who can neither read nor lion women in Mexico have the silent violence, and has
showing Coral and the to delete such material. write. Sex, her mother told, been affected by online started conversations."
man having sex; only she But when she went to local was nothing shameful — harassment. "It doesn't help to put peo-
was identifiable. prosecutors in 2013, they everybody does it — but it But having laws doesn't ple in jail if there is no pre-
"There was my photo, na- refused to act, despite the can be stealing. Given that necessarily mean that vention work," she said.q

3 funeral workers fired over Maradona coffin photos

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina firmed to Radio Diez on head and my son did it like
(AP) — Three funeral work- Friday that he'd lost his job any kid of 18," he told the
ers have been fired for pos- at the Pinier funeral home, radio station.
ing for photos alongside along with his son Ismael He said he had been re-
the body of soccer star Di- and Claudio Medina. ceiving threats from oth-
ego Maradona shortly be- One of the images shows ers living in the El Pater-
fore his funeral. Fernández and his son — nal neighborhood where
The images distributed smiling and with thumb Maradona debuted as a
across social media cre- raised — alongside Mara- professional in 1976 with the
ated outrage, even death dona's body in the cof- Argentinos Juniors team.
threats, across a nation that fin on Thursday. Medina "They know me. I'm from the
venerated Maradona, who appears in another in the neighborhood," Fernández
died Wednesday of a heart same pose. said. "They say they are
attack at age 60. Tens of Fernández insisted that going to kill us, break our
thousands lined up for a he hadn't known they'd heads."
chance to file past his body planned to take a photo- The team issued a state- Mourning fans wave from an overpass at the caravan carrying
at the nation's presidential graph, much less distribute ment saying it was consid- the remains of Diego Maradona to his resting place in Buenos
palace on Thursday. it. "It was something instan- ering expelling Fernández Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020.
Claudio Fernández con- taneous. I'd just raised my from its membership rolls. q Associated Press