“He dragged me from the bed and tried to kill me by strangling me. I had to call police and get him arrested,” Sabrina Faruk is a picture of fragility as she tell me about the years of domestic violence she endured.
But the mother of three boys embodied confidence and hope as she was crowned Mrs Universe New Zealand on August 12 in Auckland.
A nurse by profession, the Fiji-Indian is now preparing to take on contestants from across the globe at Mrs Universe 2023 in The Philippines scheduled to be held next month.
“I was two months pregnant [with a third child] when I was assaulted by my ex-husband who got into drugs,” the 40-year-old says, struggling to control her emotions as she recounts the horror.
Her eldest son, who was three years old then, witnessed the assault. “I can’t forget the look in his eyes…that was the only thing that gave me the courage to walk out of it,” says Sabrina, as she talks about her separation nearly six years back.
Her eyes light up as we shift the topic to “beautiful things” and her victory at the New Zealand edition of the global beauty pageant organised by Mrs Universe Ltd, a Bulgaria-based organisation. She won among nine contestants who made it to the finals from a pool of 20 contenders.
She will soon leave for the global competition in Manila, Mrs Universe 2023 (not related to the Miss Universe franchise).
“I am super excited to represent New Zealand and I am mentally preparing and educating myself on what's required,” she says.
“I think it's going to be an amazing experience. I'm going to give my 100 per cent, as I'm taking the name of our country there.
“My main focus will be to generate awareness about domestic violence, and step up for the cause of kids that are in foster care that have come from a broken home or have been taken away from their parents because of violence and domestic violence,” says Sabrina, who has been staying in Aotearoa for the past 27 years.
Fashion and beauty were always her passion, but she says she couldn’t pursue her dream because of her circumstances.
“I initially started modelling in 2006 and continued it till 2010. Then I started dating my ex-husband who didn’t want it, so I stopped without a question.
“Post my break-up in 2017, it took me three years to restart modelling and finally I restarted it in 2021,” says Sabrina, who has been a showstopper for Mankimeet fashion brand at Bride & Groom Show, and has acted in music videos.
Sabrina says she is looking forward to raising awareness about domestic violence now that she has the opportunity after winning the pageant.
“I was one of those girls who was quiet and kept tolerating domestic violence in six years of my marriage because I based everything on the love.
“I believed in keeping my family together and thought being quiet would make it better. But, in fact, it only made it worse. And because I was tolerating it for so long, he had the courage to continue to do that to me over and over.”
So, what’s her message to those whose are facing domestic violence. “Things don't always go right. But you've got to respect yourself, believe in yourself, and you shouldn't be tolerating non-sense behaviour because something small can lead to something really major. Life is beautiful. You just got to believe it.”
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