Misogynistic lyrics objectifying women can now earn artists a fine of more than a million pesos in Chihuahua, Mexico

In Chihuahua, Mexico, artists could now face fines of over a million pesos for performing misogynistic lyrics that objectify women.

According to reports, authorities in the north-western Mexican state have imposed a ban on artists singing such lyrics in live music venues.

Patricia Ulate, a councillor from the Pan party, which introduced this reform, stated that the motivation behind the action was the “harsh realities,” including serious violence against women and the prevailing culture of machismo in the region.

She pointed out that Chihuahua was one of the five municipalities in the state with a gender alert due to high rates of structural violence against women, and any action contributing to eradicating such circumstances would be significant.

While legislators maintain that the law is not targeting any particular music genre, it could affect popular artists like Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma, known for their misogynistic and boastful lyrics.

Transgressors of the ban could be fined up to 1.2 million pesos, with the money being used for municipal women’s programs and domestic violence shelters.

The law comes amid a significant increase in reports of domestic abuse in the city.

Chihuahua Mayor Marco Bonilla emphasized that penalties would be imposed on anyone singing songs promoting violence against women. He referred to violence within families as a “pandemic” and stated that live music objectifying and sexualizing women would be considered a form of violence.

However, not everyone is in favor of the ban. Chihuahua state congressman Francisco Sánchez, representing the Citizens Movement party, criticized the law as “useless and retrograde,” arguing that it threatens freedom and contradicts Article 6 of the constitution, which defends the expression of ideas.