A woman who is in the running to represent Great Britain at the Miss Universe beauty pageant has spoken of the need to create safe spaces for women following her two-year harassment ordeal. Rajnie Kaur Uppal, 25, who is a finalist in the national competition, is raising awareness of her story in a bid to empower women.
When Rajnie moved away from her family home in Northwich, Cheshire, for university, she became a victim of harassment from the partner of someone she knew. She became confined to her bedroom, afraid to leave, as she was bombarded with verbal abuse and nuisance texts.
Rajnie says she was forced to live in three different homes in the space of six months in a bid to escape, and was left feeling isolated and humiliated. “When I was experiencing my harassment I really felt like I was in need of an outlet,” Rajnie told the Manchester Evening News. “When you go through something like that, it can feel like you don’t have a voice, and so I started writing poetry in my room and it really was my saving grace.
