LIMA – Staging an awesome protest, Miss Peru contestants on Sunday used the competition to highlight the plight of women and girls in the South American country, where gender-based violence goes largely unpunished.
Contestants at these beauty pageants are required to give out their body measurements (bust-waist-hip) while introducing themselves.
The women – who represent different areas of the South American country – stood forward and implied they’re going to do just that. But instead of giving these numbers, they all gave different facts concerning femicide and female violence in their country.
Concursantes de Miss Perú 2017, hablaron de la situación de violencia contra las mujeres. Exigieron acciones concretas. Vía @RuidoEnLaRed pic.twitter.com/ng7JeBWjOh
— Cinco Radio (@JavierLopezDiaz) October 31, 2017
‘My name is Camila Canicoba and I represent the department of Lima. My measurements are: 2,202 cases of femicide reported in the last nine years in my country.’
‘My name is Melina Machuca, I represent the department of Cajamarca, and my measurements are: more than 80% of women in my city suffer from violence.’
‘My name is Juana Acevedo and my measurements are: more than 70% of women in our country are victims of street harassment.’
‘Almendra Marroquín here. I represent Cañete, and my measurements are: more than 25% of girls and teenagers are abused in their schools.’
‘My name is Luciana Fernández and I represent the city of Huánuco, and my measurements are: 13,000 girls suffer sexual abuse in our country.’
‘My name is Bélgica Guerra and I represent Chincha. My measurements are: the 65% of university women who are assaulted by their partners.’
‘My name is Romina Lozano and I represent the constitutional province of Callao, and my measurements are: 3,114 women victims of trafficking up until 2014.’
The final segment concluded with each woman being asked what laws they would alter to combat these gender violences.
The feminist uprising fighting violence against women in Peru has reached boiling point. A shocking video that was recorded last year in a hotel in Ayacucho, Peru, showed a naked Adriano Pozo dragging his girlfriend, trying to escape him, along by her hair.
He failed to receive any jail time, with a suspended sentence of one year and a roughly £1130 fine.
