Veronika Didusenko Wants Miss World to Change Rules of the Contest
A former Miss Ukraine contestant- Veronika Didusenko, 24, is demanding changes to the Miss World contest rules. She was stripped of her Miss Ukraine crown four days after the contest in 2018 when the organizers discovered that she was married and has a five-year-old son.
A former Miss Ukraine contestant- Veronika Didusenko, 24, is demanding changes to the Miss World contest rules. She was stripped of her Miss Ukraine crown four days after the contest in 2018 when the organizers discovered that she was married and has a five-year-old son. They further stopped her from participating in the Miss World contest. As per the rules, women with children cannot be a part of the contest.
Veronika admitted that she had read the rules before the contest however that made no difference to her. She said that being a mother doesn’t make any difference to her professional capabilities. “Being a mum doesn't have any implication on my ability to be professional or be a successful model or do my job,” she said.
Veronika has taken legal action against the contest demanding a change of rules. “We demand a change of rules, @missworld”, wrote Veronika Didusenko on Instagram. She further wrote, “The reason I was not allowed to compete in Miss World after winning the title #MissUkraine is because I had been married and have a child.” She has named her campaign #righttobeamother.
She has filed a case in London and has claimed that the organizers have breached the terms of Equality Act of 2010 that protect discrimination under areas of marriage, maternity and gender.
She also said that world pageants seem to be stuck in “dark ages” and she accused the pageant organizers of discrimination. The model said that she wants rules to be changed for a wider society.
A human rights lawyer Ravi Naik is assisting Veronika and has put forward his argument that the entry policy of Miss World breaches Britain’s Equality act 2010.
Miss England director Angie Beasley told UK network ITV in 2014, “It is both unfair on the child and her family to take the mother away from home for the year whilst she travels the globe.” Veronika, however, explained that her son is used to traveling and it has made him “so much more developed than other kids.”
The Miss World contest will be held on December 14 in London this year. The person who would be representing Ukraine at the pageant is Margaryta Pasha, a law student.
Veronika Didusenko hopes that the legal action would coerce the organizers of Miss World to change the rules of the contest and make it more inclusive and celebrate all women equally.
