The current Miss Universe Indonesia contestants reporting sexual abuse attempt by the organisers. The controversy has taken a more upsetting turn, with an attorney disclosing on Wednesday, 9th of August 2023, that the victims have increased to at least 30 contestants.
The controversy started earlier this week when a contestant reported to the Jakarta Police that she had been forced to participate in a naked “body checking” and picture session. Surprisingly, she was not allowed to provide her agreement or advance notice for this session, which also had male spectators.
Capella Swastika Karya, who organised the event, was the target of the police complaints these 30 Miss Universe Indonesia contestants reported.
A growing number of candidates have now come forward with comparable accusations of sexual abuse against the organiser, according to Mellisa Anggraeni, the attorney for these Miss Universe Indonesia contestants.
“There are currently 30 victims, but only seven of them have retained legal counsel. There is a likelihood that this number may increase,” Mellisa said to the reporters at the Jakarta Police headquarters.
In addition to reporting the incident to the police, the victims want to go to the office of Bintang Puspayoga, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, to denounce the incident formally.
According to Mellisa, none of the contestants was made aware in advance of the graphic picture shoot, which is against both Indonesian law and cultural expectations. Despite the lack of an official arrangement for such an occasion, this improper session took place on the 1st of August —just two days before the final.
The fact that the contestantss were shot in a ballroom with other people around only increased the uproar. Melissa had already mentioned that there could have been surveillance cameras in the ballroom, robbing the session of all pretence of privacy.
Mellisa said she “was shocked while seeing the photos” for the first time. The legal team has given the police photos and videos as proof to fight against the organisers.
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