Lima, November 2 (RHC)-- In Peru, women competing in the Miss Peru beauty pageant protested violence against women by refusing to disclose their waist, hip and breast measurements, and instead presented statistics on the murder, rape and harassment of women. 

In a country where incidents of femicide and other forms of gender-based violence are soaring, the contest that precedes the Miss Universe pageant seized the opportunity to call much-needed attention to the issue. 

Lining up on stage at the televised beauty contest, one by one, they spoke to the nationwide audience.  The first said: “My name is Karen Cueto, and I represent Lima.  And my figures are: 82 femicides and 156 attempted femicides so far this year.” 

The second contestant in the Miss Peru beauty pageant said: “My name is Samantha Batallanos.  I represent Lima.  And my figures are: A girl dies every 10 minutes as a result of sexual exploitation.” 

Another beauty contestant said: "My name is Juana Acevedo.  And my figures are: More than 70 percent of women in our country are victims of street harassment.” 

And finally, a fourth contestant said: “My name is Kelin Rivera, and I represent Arequipa.  My measurements are: 6,573 cases of violence against women have been registered in my region.”