Miss Universe cuts ties with Indonesian Organiser over Accusations of Sexual Assault

Jakarta(Indonesia), 13/08/23: After candidates accused local organisers of sexual harassment, the Miss Universe Organisation severed ties with its Indonesian franchisee and cancelled this year’s Malaysia competition.

The United States-based organisation announced in an emailed statement late Saturday that it had decided to terminate its contract with PT Capella Swastika Karya and its national director Poppy Capella, who also holds the Miss Universe Malaysia licence.

Six Miss Universe Indonesia competitors filed complaints with police on Tuesday, accusing organisers of sexual harassment and claiming they were forced to topless “body checks.”

The Miss Universe Organisation stated that creating a safe environment for women was its top goal. He said, “It has become clear that this franchise has not lived up to our brand standards, ethics, or expectations as outlined in our franchise handbook and code of conduct.”

Capella stated on Instagram that she does not tolerate any type of sexual harassment.

She said, “I emphasise that I, as the national director and license owner for Miss Universe Indonesia, was not involved at all and have never known, ordered, requested or allowed anyone who plays a role and participated in the process of organising Miss Universe Indonesia 2023 to commit sexual harassment through body checking as reported.”

The Jakarta competition was supposed to be held to determine Indonesia’s representative for the annual Miss Universe pageant, which would be held in El Salvador later this year.

The Miss Universe Organisation stated that it was assessing its policies and processes to avoid a similar situation in the future, and further added that there are no measurement or body proportions requirements to participate in their pageant around the world.