Divorced Mom Sues After Having Her 'Miss Ukraine' Title Stripped

Dec 11, 2019 by apost team

It was September 2018 when accomplished pageant winner and successful model Veronika Didusenko received the crown as Miss Ukraine. This highly sought-after title is given in countries across the world and is only granted to the winner after a long and arduous competition. 

However, a short while after receiving her crown, the producers of Miss Ukraine decided to disqualify Veronika from being able to then participate in Miss Universe because they discovered she had a child. 

When Veronika was crowned Miss Ukraine she was understandably overwhelmed at the news of her achievement, she never expected to win. Veronika's crowning as Miss Ukraine instantly qualified her for the famous competition in Miss World. 

Unfortunately, Veronika was stripped of her crown. According to the New York Times, when the organizers of the Miss Ukraine competition discovered she was divorced and had a son, they stripped her of the title and took the $12,000 prize money, saying she had broken the rules.

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Competitors in the Miss World competition aren't allowed to have been married in the past. In addition, they aren't allowed to have any children. Apparently, competing in this competition while being married or caring for children is too "demanding" according to This Morning. All participants in the competition have to sign an agreement stating that they don't have children and haven't been married. Veronika signed off on this agreement but wasn't telling the truth.

Veronika told the NY Times that she had entered the contest to promote a charity that she had been working for that helped orphans and she never thought she would win the event. She is now suing Miss World who is the affiliated company of Miss Ukraine, Veronika wrote in a post the rules are “discriminatory on various grounds, namely marital status, and pregnancy and maternity.” 

Miss World said in a statement on the situation and their application qualifications: "The rules are set with the principal aim of finding a Miss World who is free and able to commit, often at short notice, to travel globally in support of the sick and disadvantaged which may be for long periods of time, often to areas devastated by natural disasters."

However Viktoria offers a simple comparison for those rules, "Imagine you are Serena Williams going to play in Wimbledon when suddenly you realize that the entry criteria bans moms from taking part in the games,” she said to the NY Times. “Sounds shocking.”

What do you think? Should Veronika have entered the competition knowing she was breaking the rules? Or do you think her action sheds like on how Miss World's rules could potentially be discriminatory? Tell us what you think below. Pass this article on to your friends and family to see what they think.