These beauty pageant contestants shared statistics about violence against women when asked for their body measurements

In news that reminds us there is positive change happening all around us (as easy as it can be to forget sometimes), these Peruvian beauty pageant contestants recited statistics about violence against women when asked for their body measurements.

According to Buzzfeed News, harassment, rape, and the murder of women — known as “femicide” — is a huge problem in Peru, and Jessica Newton, the pageant organizer, decided to use the night to highlight these issues instead of going a more traditional route.

When approaching the microphone, women of various Peruvian provinces stated their names, and in lieu of their sizes (which is somehow still a thing in many pageants), they stated facts like:

“My name is Camila Canicoba and I represent the department of Lima. My measurements are: 2,202 cases of femicide reported in the last nine years in my country.

“My name is Melina Machuca, I represent the department of Cajamarca, and my measurements are: more than 80 percent of women in my city suffer from violence.

“My name is Juana Acevedo and my measurements are: more than 70 percent of women in our country are victims of street harassment.

While there were a few viewers who were decidedly not happy with the pageant’s decision, believing it to be merely a “publicity stunt”—

—most viewers found the focus on women’s issues both refreshing and important: false

And while the pageant received some flack for still including a swimsuit section (which many believe further promotes the objectification of women), Newton noted to BuzzFeed that wearing a bathing suit does not mean a woman is asking to be objectified, nor should women be slut-shamed for wearing revealing clothes in general.

"Women can walk out naked if they want to. Naked," she said. "It’s a personal decision. If I walk out in a bathing suit I am just as decent as a woman who walks out in an evening dress."

Regardless of where you stand on the swimsuit issue, we think we can all agree that shining a light on violence against women is a good thing, and we’re proud of these women for contributing to this important dialogue.