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Miss Landmine Beauty Pageant to Begin in Cambodia
July 23, 2009 1:02 PM
ABC’s Clark Bentson reports from Rome:
The first Miss Landmine beauty pageant in Cambodia is set to begin in August. This pageant follows a successful but highly controversial contest in Angola last year where the world’s first Miss Landmine was crowned. The goal of the pageant organizers is to bring attention to the tens of thousands of people worldwide who have lost limbs because of landmines. To this day, countless mines -- many of which are American -- remain unaccounted for.
The competition will not follow a traditional beauty pageant model with contestants parading across a stage. Instead the 20 contestants will appear in a photo exhibition, and an official internet voting campaign will follow where anyone can vote for their favorite candidate. A specially selected jury will then choose the winner in December and she will take home the top prize -- a custom-made prosthetic leg.
Beauty pageants have been illegal in Cambodia since 1993. However, the Cambodian government and the Cambodian Mine Action Authority fully support the Miss Landmine competition.
July 23, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (5)
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I'm not sure I like this too much!...im almost insulted, these girls went through horrific landminds and now they're being exploited in a "BEAUTY" pageant...thats kinda sad. I sad for them, here's a country that banned real beauty pageants because its explioting women like the country sex traffic and child prostitution isn't one our biggest issue!...im hurt.
Posted by: Tia Meas | Jul 23, 2009 10:52:03 PM
p.s....please excuse my typos!!
Posted by: Tia Meas | Jul 23, 2009 10:52:44 PM
I don't really think they are actually interested in exploiting those girls, they are actually interested in calling the world's attention to the fact that loads of landmines are still lying there and nobody takes responsibility for them or the accidents. You shouldn't be hurt. You should be glad at least they will be able to get a 'leg' out of it. Or the closest to a leg they will ever get.
Posted by: Diego | Jul 28, 2009 6:30:15 PM
They are participating of their own free will. Obviously THEY don't think they are being exploited.
Was Paul McCartney's ex-wife being exploited on Dancing With the Stars?
Posted by: Mike | Aug 3, 2009 12:22:55 PM
Thank god!
A country that protects its people and has some sensibility.
Stop these crazed people, and tell them if they wanna work on social issues there's many ways of helping and many institutions raising awareness and making lives of people with landmine disability better.
There's millions of ways of raising awareness without insulting people and a nation.
Posted by: Inka | Aug 3, 2009 2:42:29 PM
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