President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum appointed Morena Senator Citlalli Hernández on Monday as the future head of the Secretariat for Women's Affairs, a department that will be established under her administration.
"A founder and member of the Morena party, she is also a founder of the international feminist movement and, as a senator, has defended human rights and spoken out against conversion therapies," said Sheinbaum.
Regarding the creation of this department, the president-elect commented that one of the primary tasks of the Secretariat for Women's Affairs will be to ensure that women's rights are upheld, in coordination with other government agencies. She mentioned that in the case of the Ministry of Labor, this will be a cross-cutting issue, where this new department will ensure that women's labor rights are respected.
"Obviously, gender issues are cross-cutting; that is, the Ministry of Labor has to do with women's rights in the workplace, but having a dedicated secretariat ensures that these rights are enforced. We want women's rights to reach every corner of the country," said Claudia Sheinbaum about the creation of the Secretariat for Women's Affairs.
Greater Rights for Women in Mexico: Citlalli Hernández
For her part, Citlalli Hernández indicated that they will seek greater rights for women across the country and fulfill the president-elect's commitment to women.
"No woman will be left unprotected in the face of violence and inequality. We will go into the field to deliver a women's handbook. We recognize the achievements made in this administration, such as the 20% reduction in the wage gap and the participation of women with gender parity," said Hernández.
“I am grateful to President @Claudiashein for trusting me and inviting me to join her cabinet as the head of the Secretariat for Women's Affairs. It is an honor!
We will work to ensure that all women—from the girls being born and growing up today to our elderly women—have better living conditions, greater equality, and live free from discrimination”.Citlalli Hernández
Who is Citlalli Hernández?
She is a 34-year-old feminist activist and politician. She was born in the eastern part of Mexico City. She studied Communication Sciences with a specialization in Journalism at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She is currently the Secretary-General of Morena and a Senator of the Republic in the LXIV Legislature.
She also served as a local deputy in the VII Legislature from 2015 to 2018 and was the first Secretary of Culture of the Iztacalco Delegational Executive Committee in 2013, as well as a commissioner of the electoral structure in Oaxaca in 2016 and in Coahuila in 2017.
"I come from a family with leftist political convictions, initially Cardenista and later Lopezobradorista. I am a social activist, a member and promoter of student movements and mobilizations since adolescence. I was part of the mobilization against the impeachment of Andrés Manuel López Obrador," she states on her website.