Miss Universe Great Britain hopeful's two-year harassment hell

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.

“It reminded me of how powerful my voice was.” Rajnie shared her first poem about gender stereotypes on Instagram, where she discovered a community of women who could relate to her words.

“It was a massive turning point for me,” Rajnie, who works for the public sector in diversity and inclusion, continued. “I felt part of something, it’s important to have a group of strong women around you, and actually it is something that is needed.

“My whole advocacy now is about creating safe spaces for other women where they don’t feel alone. Women experience so much sexism, I am yet to meet a woman who hasn’t at some point in their life.

“We should be sharing our stories, it’s about saying what we’re experiencing