This past week, in collaboration with UN Women, Mexico City's government launched a campaign to fight sexual violence against women in public transportation. This action was long overdue, since according to the Human Rights division in Mexico's ministry of internal affairs, an estimated 9 out of 10 Mexican women are victims of sexual violence. This is a serious issue, and it should be addressed in an equally serious manner, not with a ridiculous campaign that will only have social media virality to show for itself.

The campaign consisted of placing a seat shaped like a man's torso with a protruding penis in one of the metro cars in Mexico City. A sign above it reads "reserved for men," while a sign below it says "it's uncomfortable to travel here, but it doesn't compare to the sexual violence women face in their everyday commutes." The campaign is meant to show men what sexual violence feels like to women in order to create conscience on the topic. This is definitely a crucial step to take in the fight against violence against women, but this campaign was not the way to do it.

In Mexico, as in most countries, the degradation and objectification of women arises from a general lack of education in society, a cultural belief that women should play a certain role and have less authority than their male counterparts. An effective campaign in addressing this issue would focus on educating the members of Mexican society instead of making even more people, both men and women, uncomfortable in their daily commutes.

The overwhelming use of shock advertising this campaign relied on degrades its authority, making it almost comical, worthy of a viral video showing how passengers reacted to it. A few eye rolls or jumps out of the seat are not going to change the reality Mexican women live every day. Concrete action must be taken in addressing this issue, starting with a shift in education regarding gender equality and a reevaluation of the position judges often take when sexual violence is reported, as recently a Mexican judge granted constitutional protection to Diego Cruz Alonso, who was not charged for raping a minor because "he did not enjoy it."

Sexual assault poses an enormous problem and it cannot be addressed through aimless campaigns like the "penis seat". It is time for Mexico to take serious action to protect women from being taken advantage of and to grant them equality within their society. This effort concerns not only our government but all Mexicans. We must work together to achieve it.