September 27, 2018
Beauty takes Brave stance on sexual violence
Miss World New Zealand has set up a roopu to address sexual violence.
Jess Tyson from Te Atihaunui-a-Paparangi says as a 7-year-old she was repeatedly abused by a family friend, and it took a long time for her to even learn the words to report the abuse to her mother.
Brave is her Beauty with a Purpose project, which forms part of the Miss World kaupapa.
The name comes from memories of the court process she endured at the age of 9.
"Brave not only reflects how I was as a child but reflects how people can be these days and stand up and be brave to talk about different situations they have been in and be brave to talk about the topic amongst each other because at the moment it is a really taboo topic, sexual violence and abuse," she says.
Jess Tyson travels to China in December to represent New Zealand for the Miss World title.
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