Congresswoman Gaby Montoya, president of the Baja California Sur State Congress’s Governing Board, called on fellow legislators on April 16 to advance a package of bills targeting digital and gender-based violence against women. Montoya warned that legal gaps in BCS leave women exposed to online harassment, non-consensual image sharing, and reputation attacks with little recourse.
The La Paz lawmaker said current state law does not adequately address crimes committed through digital platforms. She urged committee members to issue formal opinions on the pending initiatives so they can move to a floor vote.
What the Bills Would Change
The proposed legislation covers several forms of digital violence, including cyberstalking, the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, and coordinated online harassment campaigns. If approved, the bills would create new criminal penalties for offenders and give victims clearer legal paths to pursue charges.
Mexico’s federal General Law on Women’s Access to a Life Free of Violence was amended in 2021 to recognize digital violence as a specific category of gender-based harm. That federal framework, sometimes called the “Olimpia Law” after activist Olimpia Coral Melo, established baseline protections. However, each state must update its own penal and civil codes to fully implement enforcement at the local level.
BCS Lags Behind Other States
Montoya’s push comes as several Mexican states have already adopted or strengthened their own digital violence statutes. BCS has been slower to act, leaving a patchwork of protections that can make it difficult for prosecutors to bring cases. The congresswoman pointed to attacks on women’s reputations through social media and messaging apps as a growing problem that existing law fails to address.
The State Congress in La Paz has not set a date for committee votes on the bills. Montoya called on legislators from all parties to treat the issue as a priority during the current session.
For residents of Baja California Sur, the bills would mark one of the first times state law explicitly defines and penalizes digital harassment, revenge image distribution, and online stalking as criminal acts.
This story was first reported by Noticias La Paz.