In September 2018 Veronica did.

Ishchenko was crowned the winner off the Miss Ukraine beauty pageant, but just four days later, she was stripped of her title.

What for?

Exactly?

While simply for being a mother.

According to the rules of the Miss World franchise, You can't take part if you have Children.

Well, now Veronica, who has a five year old son, has taken the beauty contest to court over its policy on we are joined by Veronica.

Did Ishchenko along with her sister Serena Market.

Welcome to you both.

You knew the rules.

Presuming for you, entity.

I didn't know the rules for a start is completed.

Application form, Uh, on and at this moment, Organizer's of Miss Ukraine, who owned the franchise of Miss World.

They encouraged me.

Joe enters competitions and they were invited me to join their pageant on.

Then I started completed application form.

I realized that those rules are still existing, but I couldn't understand how being the mother, which implications hasn't my ability to be, ah, professional fashion model or successful charity workers.

So you applied.

And when you in when you went for this competition, did you have to declare whether you have Children or not.

Tell them so Onley time when I s o the this rule was when I started completed application form.

And what did you say?

So you said that you didn't have Children.

Yeah, because if you click, don't click The box is your perfect your application done.

Ghost doesn't go through and you cannot supply.

And so they fight.

Found out once you have been crowned, what happened then?

After three days I've been crowned, I would school a bite.

And how did you feel about that?

I felt first I felt shocked because I didn't really think at this time I could win, and then I would disqualify.

It was twice more shocking for me.

I felt so humiliated and insulted.

And, uh uh, at this moment, I started getting thousands off comments and messages on my social media.

Supported my campaign against those you felt insulted by by that, because because rules are discriminatory and there is no place for them in 20 for center when we wouldn't can successfully balance their careers and parenting.

Well, we have asked miss well for a response on.

Just said they they haven't come back to us yet.

But in 2018 the Miss World Organization CEO Judea truly did speak about the new no Children rule on the organization, said that when you're trying to get a worldwide organization to agree, have to look to everyone and they vote as daughters acceptable.

That's what she told Theo.

Good Morning, Britain program on.

Also, if you could understand, we don't just have our own feelings, we have others to consider.

So what we try to do is to get a balance, and the other thing that they raised Shereen Marker, if I could just put this to you, is that they have to look out for the welfare of the Children who and obviously, in the job of being a winner, you're traveling a lot.

Isn't that fair enough?

Um, I mean, we understand whether what they're saying, but we would argue that cultural sensitivities should not form the basis for discrimination.

Andi, in today's day and age theme fact that you're married or that you have Children shouldn't act is an impediment to your professional career.

So we would argue that they are it is discriminatory, and the fact that she might have childcare responsibilities shouldn't have a bearing on whether she's allowed to progress in this.

But in this competition on sharing, just you are taking legal action.

What, what is the process or what's the time frame of this at the moment?

Sure say we have written Teoh the Miss World organizer's threatening legal legal action on the basis that the rules of discriminatory and that their country to the equalities act we were supposed to receive a response on Friday on DWI received holding letter from their legal team.

Now that's encouraging, because the fact that they've instructed a legal team shows that they're taking the matter seriously.

But there's no no real excuse for any delay.

We now intend to file a complaint with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission because we believe that this is an issue which is widespread on it shows sliced systemic discrimination that impacts many people are not just Veronica, so we think it's something that the Equality and Human Rights Commission would be very well placed to try and bring an anti.

Yes, I mean, I'm sure obviously they will have their own view on this, just they will have their own justifications as we've said in their own reasons, I would have to see legally how this plays out.

What What do you do with your son when you're traveling?

Or were you working?

I mean, what you normally Yeah, Alex have been drilling was always down when I was working as a model.

So I worked in Paris and land in LA Told Hayes five.

Now hey, goes to kindergarden in the Ukraine.

But when I travel, I take him with me.

Hey, is absolutely developed.

Happy, healthy boy.

And I never had a problem with him traveling around the world.

What?

What will happen when he's a bit older and he needs to be at school?

Yeah, Uh I mean already Balinese school.

Yeah, in Ukraine gives gold school ones here six years old.

So I help one more year.

I know you talked about the words of humiliating and degrading your beautiful girl.

Some people will say the whole, you know, Miss World, These sort of competitions in themselves Aren't they rather degrading now in this day and age, to be judged for your parade in a competitive way for that?

You don't need to do that.

You know inclusive competitions can break gender stereotypes, can help to empower women and can create a perfect platform to develop revere professional skills.

For me, Mr Crane was a platform to develop my charity cause yank Einstein's I run a charity project in Ukraine to help or funds a talented mathematics develop their talents.

So for me, it was a good platform to develop my charity costs.

Okay.

Veronica Timoshenko.

Shereen Marker.

Thank you both very much need for coming in to me.

Thank you.