Viktoryia Montasser — Official Participant of The Continental Pageants Europe® 2023

My name is Victoria, I represent Turkey. I’m 44 years old and married. I’m here to regain faith and self-confidence, to be an example for many Turkish women who experience and endure social, physical, and psychological violence every day, both at home and at work. I’m here to share my story of violence, which began long before my birth but has left a profound impact on my entire life.

I know what it’s like to be beaten by a husband, to stand on the verge many times, contemplating leaving… But my son is the reason I gathered myself and kept fighting. As an economist and a successful professional in the social sphere, I have had to scrub floors in toilets and start over many times, escaping from violence…

I know what it’s like when your salary is withheld if you refuse your boss, I know what it’s like to live in constant fear for your life and your future…
I have experienced the extent of police, court, and various other institutions’ abuse of power, especially when you’re alone against everyone.

What more could I expect in Turkey, where every second woman experiences domestic violence, where every woman faces social violence (mobbing) at work, and where Turkey ranks 38th out of a thousand countries in terms of female mortality due to violence? Approximately 400 women die here every year, not to mention those who are driven to suicide.

The pain within me has forged my character, and most importantly, I have become an example for many of my Turkish acquaintances who now know that we can and should say NO to violence, that we mustn’t give up, but instead keep moving forward, developing, and only then can we withstand and triumph. I have read the entire Quran, which is over 850 pages of text with commentary, and I have found much evidence that women are highly valued in the Muslim religion, and violence is NOT PERMITTED in Islam.

I am no longer afraid to fight for my rights, and may my example inspire hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of women, including you.