During the pageant the contenders told the jury about how their countries are coping with the problem of domestic violence. Svetlana Kuznetsova has prepared her speech together with UNFPA
The Belarusian participant was given the main prize of the international forum held in Aruba. According to the results of Internet voting the second winner is the participant from Malaysia, who got 88,649 votes. But here as well the result of Svetlana Kuznetsova was one of the highest and amounted to 88,420.
The prestigious "Mrs. Universe" pageant assessed not only appearance. Its slogan is "No to violence". The prerequisite for the contenders is their willingness to make benefit to the society. Svetlana Kuznetsova has been actively involved in efforts to combat domestic violence, she spoke to the media on the subject, and has prepared a report on the achievements of our country in collaboration with UNFPA in Belarus (the video prepared for the competition by Svetlana, in Russian)
"We have opened a hotline for domestic violence survivors. Every day psychologists and attorneys provide anonymous and free counseling to those facing aggression, who want to keep their family or to leave and start a new life, who want to protect themselves and their children, or just talk. The hotline already got around two and a half thousand calls. And now, on August 13, the hotline turns one year - said Svetlana Kuznetsova at the competition. - We train psychologists how to work with men to use violence. Some people believe that the aggressor deserves only punishment, but punishing does not mean solving the problem. Such person needs professional help. He does not know how to deal with emotions, does not know what a harmonious and respectful relationship is, but it can learn it. "
Svetlana Kuznetsova is confident that famous people need to speak about the issue of domestic violence and how to solve it.
"The problem is that when there is violence many women do not know what to do and how to protect themselves. Therefore it is necessary to educate. Thanks to the Mrs. Universe 2013 forum we can help women change their mindset and attitude to the problem. And I'm glad that his example can show the strength and independence of women in Belarus! Say 'no' to violence! "
Our congratulations to Svetlana Kuznetsova on a well-deserved victory and looking forward to a photo report from Aruba. The first images are posted on Svetlana’s Facebook page.
