Laura Itzel Castillo to Lead Secretariat of Women, Focused on Consolidating Equality

Senator Laura Itzel Castillo Juárez is preparing to assume leadership of the Secretariat of Women, a federal agency that has remained without a head since Citlalli Hernández Mora resigned in April. Castillo Juárez, currently the president of the Board of Directors of the Senate of the Republic, will transition to the role as her current legislative term nears its end.

In a video posted on social media, Castillo Juárez emphasized her commitment to creating more opportunities for women in public life, guided by a feminist approach and a social vision. "My feminist conviction is part of a broad social struggle for equality and justice, a cause I have accompanied throughout my career with the certainty that women have the capacity, strength, and leadership to direct, undertake, sustain, and transform all areas of our society," she stated.

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My feminist conviction is part of a broad social struggle for equality and justice, a cause I have accompanied throughout my career with the certainty that women have the capacity, strength, and leadership to direct, undertake, sustain, and transform all areas of our society.

Castillo Juárez highlighted her history of activism, including co-founding political forces like the Mexican Workers' Party (PMT) and promoting organizations for domestic workers, as well as the National Association of Youth and the National Association of Women. She also noted her role in pushing for gender quotas within the now-defunct Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) before joining Morena. "Proudly, I want to say that laws were transformed from these initiatives, and we are pioneers in these ideas that have now translated into legal and constitutional matters. And we can say that parity exists today, thanks to a long struggle from the left for women to be visible," she celebrated.

Her past public service includes being the first woman to hold the position of delegate for the government in Coyoacán, where she supported pro-women policies. She also served as the first secretary of urban development and housing for the government of the Federal District, working closely with Andrés Manuel López Obrador between 2000 and 2006. Castillo Juárez's challenge in her new role will be to consolidate substantive equality and ensure women's full participation across all sectors of society.

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Proudly, I want to say that laws were transformed from these initiatives, and we are pioneers in these ideas that have now translated into legal and constitutional matters. And we can say that parity exists today, thanks to a long struggle from the left for women to be visible.