By Paga Hill Estate
We stand by Miss PNG Lucy Maino 2019 and couldn't be more proud of her achievements.
Internet trolls reveal their own insecurities and weakness in their actions. Trolls are scared of strong, energetic and capable women, and seek to silence them through harassment and bullying. We thank the United Nations in Papua New Guinea and PNG Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender-Based Violence, as well as others that have publicly shown support for Lucy and condemned all harassment against women. Last week we urged the Miss PNG Pacific Islands Pageant to similarly call out the harassment endured by Lucy, but they only distanced themselves. The Pageant is sadly failing the people they claim to promote and support.
The reason for our involvement with Lucy was to support and promote positive role models for PNG women. Too often women's rights are violated and their voices suppressed, or gone unheeded and undervalued. It starts with role models, who need nurturing and support as they pioneer new pathways. This is why we immediately took to Lucy, who we all know to be bright, energetic, driven and capable.
We couldn't have wished for a better candidate to support and PNG was fortunate to have her in a leading role. Already an accomplished role model prior to entering the pageant, Lucy is co-captain of the PNG National Soccer Team, holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Hawaii and had already worked to promote PNG tourism in her time in the USA. She put the goal of commencing her masters degree on hold to give something back, and the Miss PNG Pageant benefited greatly. The Miss PNG Pageant claims its "core purpose is the empowerment of women". In abandoning Lucy and choosing not to condemn the harassment she has endured, the Pageant is failing to live up to its purpose. The opportunity still remains, and we hope they will make a strong statement on the issue soon.
Lucy achieved an incredible amount in her tenure as Miss PNG, and we know she'll go on to achieve so much more in these and other forums. In every way she is a role model for young PNG women and we look forward to supporting her every step of the way. Let's all stand tall with Lucy.
Next : Miss Papua New Guinea 2019 Lucy Maino released from her duty