Peru is the third country with more women violence in the world. 9 female teenagers are raped every day, 89% of the rapists are still without any punishment. 2,379 of the rapes happened in the victims´ houses (Source: World Health Organization and The Ministry of Women of Peru). The awful truth is that these terrible numbers are informed every day on TV, newspapers and the web. However, Peruvians were not paying attention to this reality. Latina, the television network committed to fight against women violence, decided to action.

We transformed one of the most important live shows in Peru into the biggest live broadcast protest ever done. Miss Peru contestants gave gender-violence statistics instead of their body measurements, breaking with tradition in order to protest the country´s record on women violence.

We transformed princesses into badass warriors, their measurements into measures that really matter, their beauty into an opportunity to see how ugly our reality is.

The following week of the Miss Peru pageant, the congress proposed to modify the law #30710, so that all gender violence is penalized with jail time. It was approved.

We transformed one of the most important live shows in Peru into the biggest live broadcast protest ever done in Peru. Miss Peru contestants gave gender-violence statistics instead of their body measurements, breaking with tradition in order to protest the country´s record on women violence.

During the pageant there is a segment where contestants tell the judges their body measurements: hip, waist, and bust. Most pageants have dispensed with the tradition, but Miss Peru used it to offer statistics about femicide, rape, and other gender-based violence that plague the country.

On October 29, in Lima-Peru, 23 fierce women fought for their gender equality and rights as human beings. This is what happened in the last Miss Peru Pageant.

In the 2 hour show, the contestants listed hard-hitting statistics about violence against women in Peru. During the question-and-answer segment, judges asked the contestants how they would best fight against femicide. During the bathing suits segment, the women walked on stage while news headlines about murdered and assaulted women cycled behind them.

The protest had been planned 3 month ahead with Jessica Newton, President of Miss Peru pageant. She and her 23 contestants, agreed to dedicate the event to empower women in a country with an appalling record of gender violence.

2’200,000 Peruvians viewed the Miss Peru TV Live event. #MissPeru was a trending topic for 3 consecutive days in Peru. We had more than 87 million views on video.

Charges against abusers increased by 62%.

We succeeded to modify the law #30710, so that all gender violence is penalized with jail time.

The Minister of Women and the First Lady approached us to fight together.

On December 2017, police agents were trained to deal with cases of women violence.

Susana Chavez, Promsex Director, Feminist NGO in Peru, said “We’ve never seen a time when there is more awareness about the problem [of gender violence].”

Latina signed with Unicef to fight against violence.

2.2 million Peruvians viewed the TV Live Event that day.

+$5 million earned media.

+250 articles published worldwide, “Miss Peru” was present in search browsers in 5 continents for one week.

+87 million views on video.

+3.8 million organic interactions. +1 million people viewed on Facebook Live.

#MissPeru was a trending topic for 3 consecutive days in Peru.

Reach: We wanted Peruvian families from every social segment, in front of the TV. Historically this is one of the most viewed TV Live events in Peru.

Buzz: Peruvians were not paying attention to the reality of statistics concerning violence against women. We needed a disruptive way to communicate the problem.

Paradigm: For some feminist groups, Miss Peru is an event of women “objectification”. We wanted to capitalize that belief and demonstrate that the most important show about beauty can become a platform to fight and speak up.

We transformed princesses into badass warriors, their measurements into measures that really matter, their beauty into an opportunity to see how ugly our reality is.

On June 2017 Latina, one of the most important TV Networks in Peru, launched its purpose “Be a social changer” and the cause was committed with: “To Fight against women violence” through the slogan “We are in charge”.

We knew that every content created was an opportunity to fight against women violence, even a Beauty Pageant.

Latina had the rights to produce Miss Peru, one of the most viewed TV Live events, so we knew we had the opportunity to transform the icon of women objectification in the biggest platform to empower women.

We decided to hijack the contest and did the unexpected: Miss Peru contestants gave gender-violence statistics instead of their body measurements, breaking with tradition in order to protest the country´s record on women.

We transformed one of the most important live shows into the biggest live broadcast protest ever done, creating awareness in the Peruvian audience, government and the whole world about violence issues, accomplishing to modify the law, so that all the gender violence is penalized with jail time.

Objectives:

Gain awareness about the problem of gender violence in Peru.

Empowered women to speak up.

Pressure the government to react and take real action.