Veronika Didusenko has decided to pursue a legal battle against Miss World Organization after she was disqualified for being a mother and a divorcee. Veronika was first crowned Miss World Ukraine 2018 but was stripped off her title after the organizers got to know that she is a mother. This discrimination opened her eyes to the frivolous rules of the pageants that undermine the ability of a working mother to fulfil her responsibilities.
The 24-year-old professional model was left furious when she was told that her motherhood would be an obstacle in representing her country at a prestigious event such as Miss World. Veronika will now be represented by Ravi Naik, Human Rights Lawyer of the Year 2018, and Leading Counsel Marie Demitriou QC. Ravi represents clients in some of the world’s most high-profile cases (including the first case against #CambridgeAnalytica for political profiling and claims against Facebook for their data practices.)
A rule that makes no sense to her because it hinders the equality, Veronika’s initiative ‘Right be a Mother’ took a huge leap forward when her case gained severe support from the people all over the world. One of the main arguments in the case is if men are allowed to participate in a pageant without their marital status being considered because the initials Mr. does not change to anything while for a woman it becomes Mrs. and thus, they don’t face any problems.
Veronika put her argument forward saying, “We say that under the Equality Act 2010 the entry policy operated by Miss World is discriminatory on various grounds, namely marital status, and pregnancy and maternity.The Equality Act protects against discrimination based on certain characteristics, including marriage, maternity and sex. The reason I was not allowed to compete in Miss World after winning the title Miss Ukraine is because I had been married and have a child. Denying me the chance of competing on those bases breaches those protections against discrimination.”
She does not also want her crown back and just wants the organization to get the rules changed for wider society. Getting the support of thousands of people all over the world, this might come in as a fresh change in Miss World after transgender women were allowed to compete in Miss Universe last year. What are your views?