Ola de indignación en Perú por una agresión sexual contra una cantante de cumbia

Sexual assault scandal erupts in Peru over aggression against cumbia singer Naldy Saldaña. During a rehearsal in Lima, a middle-aged man grabs the 26-year-old singer, attempts to kiss her, and gropes her while the tropical music plays loudly. In a follow-up video, posted shortly after, he immobilizes her and touches her in various places as she struggles in vain.

The incident occurred on June 18 and was captured in two videos. Saldaña filed a complaint the next day but the orchestra, La Bella Luz, failed to respond. After a month, she resigned and only after the videos went public was Sánchez Chavesta, her alleged attacker, dismissed indefinitely by the group. The state institutions subsequently took necessary measures.

Saldaña, a veteran of Peru's cumbia scene, joined Corazón Serrano as a teenager before becoming one of the lead voices of La Bella Luz. She claims the incident is not an isolated event but the culmination of a pattern of behavior that has persisted for years. "It wasn't the first time. I avoided the bathroom that day. He always put his hand on me whenever I passed by," she recounted.

She also said she felt alone and unprotected, as the orchestra's owners only told her, "You will overcome it little by little." Sánchez Chavesta, who is Saldaña's first cousin, is the musical director and keyboardist of the band. The scandal has sparked outrage among Peruvians on social media. The videos were released by the television program Magaly TV.

Saldaña stated she reported the assault immediately after it happened and expected a strong response from the orchestra where she had worked for three years. She did not receive such a response. She remained in the group for another month before submitting her resignation. Only after the videos became public was the orchestra announced that Sánchez Chavesta was being indefinitely separated from his duties.

The State institutions activated the corresponding measures. Saldaña, who has a history in Peruvian cumbia music, began her career at the age of 14 with Corazón Serrano before becoming one of the main voices of La Bella Luz. She stated that the videos posted this week do not show an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of a situation that has been recurring for a long time.

"This is not the first time. That month, I avoided going to the bathroom. He always put his hand on me whenever I passed by," she said. She also stated that she felt alone and unprotected, as the orchestra's owners only told her, "You will overcome it little by little." According to her testimony, César Sánchez Chavesta, whom she accuses of the alleged touching, is the first cousin of Óscar Custodio Chavesta, the founder and owner of the band.

La Bella Luz is a well-established name in Peruvian cumbia music. The group was formed in Monsefú, Chiclayo in 1994 under the name Orquesta Facucha and later adopted the name La Bella Luz in honor of the founder's grandmother. The orchestra has toured across the country and built a unique identity in the northern cumbia circuit over three decades.

The story of the assault coincides with the sequence captured on camera. "I went to the bathroom and when I came out, he wanted to meet me. He didn't want to let me pass. He wanted to kiss me. He started touching me," Saldaña said. After managing to escape, the man called her again. "Now that I see the video, I don't know what happened.

It must be because I was frightened. He grabbed me tighter, started touching me everywhere and pressing me harder," she added. The Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Violence against Women in San Juan de Lurigancho opened a preliminary investigation against César Sánchez Chavesta for the alleged crime of touching, acts of sexual connotation, or acts of libidinous coercion without consent.

Among the actions ordered are the taking of statements, the collection of security camera records, and the execution of protective measures for the complainant. Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Woman announced that it will provide legal, psychological and social assistance to Saldaña. On the same day, La Bella Luz issued a statement announcing the indefinite separation of Sánchez Chavesta from his duties and expressed its rejection of any form of violence or harassment.

The group expressed its solidarity with the singer and stated that it recognizes the value of denouncing such acts. They also indicated that they recognize the value of denouncing such acts. The consequences also affected an audiovisual project about the group. Del Barrio Producciones announced the suspension of the series inspired by La Bella Luz and explained that they cannot continue a production based on a band while someone indicated in a complaint of this nature continues to be part of it.

The company stated that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and reaffirmed its commitment to the protection of victims and respect for the due process. This is compounded by the program Mande quien mande of América Televisión, which had organized a reality show to find the new singer of La Bella Luz. After the disclosure of the scenes, they temporarily canceled the casting.

"We ask that the investigations go all the way. No one has the right to receive any type of harassment and even more to remain silent. Glory to God that this girl could have evidence to show the world what this unfortunate was doing to her," said Tula Rodríguez, one of the presenters.