Miss Labasa calls for kindness toward all pageant contestants, acknowledging the pressure of public scrutiny

Miss Labasa calls for kindness toward all pageant contestants, acknowledging the pressure of public scrutiny.

This was raised by Miss Labasa 2025 Peggy Ravusiro after picking her research topic and stage line-up for the Miss Fiji pageant at the Ministry of Local Government office.

She says they are not complaining, and they will face the circumstances and criticism with resilience.

She adds that care is a child’s first right and every parent’s responsibility, and she is stepping onto the Miss Fiji Pageant stage with a compelling personal story and a strong advocacy centred on children’s wellbeing.

Ravusiro describes her journey to the pageant as unorthodox, explaining that she has no ancestral or blood ties to Labasa.

Originally from Papua New Guinea, with maternal roots in Kadavu, she found herself connected to the North after choosing to complete her final medical school rotation at the Labasa Divisional Hospital.

She shares that she never imagined representing a place she wasn’t from, yet believes her path unfolded with purpose.

Despite being new to the region, she says she proudly carries the identity and strength of the North.

Her advocacy arose during her paediatric rotation, where she observed that many of Fiji’s pressing social issues—including rising HIV & AIDS cases, the ongoing drug crisis, and conversations on corporal punishment—have roots in the lack of meaningful communication within families.

She emphasises that stronger parent-child relationships and honest conversations at home can help address these societal challenges.