Pain To Purpose

Preparing to take the stage representing Ethiopia at the Miss World pageant, Ruth Yirgalem Weldesilasie thinks of her sister, who was abducted and murdered ahead of the contest. "I'm going to change my pain to my purpose," the 25-year-old told AFP in Vietnam's coastal Nha Trang city, as 111 contestants gathered for the pageant finale.

This summer, Ruth's 29-year-old elder sister Kidusan was kidnapped for ransom, disappearing from her side as she prepared for the global beauty contest. Kidusan was discovered dead, her remains split between two suitcases, in late July. Ruth's ex-boyfriend and her sister's partner are among 10 arrested suspects.

Dignity

Violence against women and girls is endemic in Ethiopia's deeply patriarchal society. UN data shows nearly 20 million women in the country of 130 million people were married or in a union before the age of 18. Female genital mutilation rates are nearly 50 percent for women between 15 and 49.

"Imagine the person that you care for most has a price one day -- you're being asked for a price," Ruth told AFP of the ransom call. "It was hard, very hard." When you heal a woman, "you give her dignity back", she said. "You give her another life."