27 April 2021 05:22 pm
Former Mrs. World Caroline Jurie has called on the Government to regulate beauty pageants and become the first country to do so.
Jurie wrote to K. M. A. D Jayasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, after Daily Mirror recently reported that the government is taking steps to regulate beauty pageants.
In her letter to the Ministry, Jurie said that the industry is yet to gain the recognition and acceptance of the larger population of Sri Lanka.
Therefore, she says certain reforms are mandatory and urgent, adding that her goal is to create a fair stage for every woman, irrespective of status so Sri Lanka does not need to witness a repetition of events similar to that seen at the recent Mrs. Sri Lanka for Mrs. World finals.
“I am sure you will agree, that investing one crown to save a thousand more, is the noble contribution that Sri Lanka can make, to create a fair global stage for every woman,” she said.
Caroline Jurie resigned as Mrs. World following the incident at the Mrs. Sri Lanka finals after which she was arrested and released on bail.
“Let’s become one of the first countries to regulate the pageant industry. I believe we should be able to bring the best minds and experience in the industry together and draft a purpose driven set of regulations,” she said in the letter.
She also said that the pageant industry has immense potential and one needs to ensure that only the best practices are warranted when conducting pageants to create a fair stage that will empower the country and the people.
State Minister of Women and Child Development Piyal Nishantha told Daily Mirror recently that any event using the Sri Lanka name must be monitored in future. He said that discussions have already commenced to formulate guidelines in order to regulate private events related to women and children.
The State Minister said that even beauty pageants like the Mrs. Sri Lanka for Mrs. World should be regulated to ensure it meets international standards. He said that his Ministry will have talks with private organizations to reach a consensus on the matter.
During the finals of the pageant Mrs. World 2020 Caroline Jurie had uncrowned the winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka contest, Pushpika De Silva, over claims that she was divorced. She had thereafter crowned the first runner-up as the winner.
However, Pushpika issued a statement saying she was not a divorcee and filed legal action against Caroline Jurie alleging she suffered injuries in the incident. The organisers of the event later re-crowned Pushpika.
Jurie was arrested over the incident and released on bail. (Easwaran Rutnam)