監獄舉辦選美大賽慶祝婦女節

俄羅斯西伯利亞地區的一座女子監獄近日舉辦了一次選美大賽，迎接“三八國際婦女節”。這座監獄位於海參崴以北62英里的一處定居點，參與選美的女犯褪去“號服”，換上長禮服一展風采。最終，一位名叫瑪利亞•蓋潘克的女犯摘得桂冠。自1977年聯合國建議各成員國將3月8日定爲“聯合國婦女權益及世界和平日”以來，各國在每年的這一天都會舉行慶祝活動。

Inmates at a women's prison in Siberia have taken part in a beauty contest to mark International Women's Day.

The contestants were the residents of Penal Colony No 10 at the Gorni settlement, which lies about 62 miles north of Vladivostok.

They shed their usual prison outfits for gowns and paraded in front of a cheering audience before inmate Maria Gapenko was eventually crowned the winner.

International Women's Day - which takes place on March 8 - was started as a socialist political event and is particularly popular in eastern Europe and Russia.

In recent years, however, western cultures have become more interested in the event, particularly since 1977 when the UN suggested member states take up the day as the UN Day for Women's Rights and International Peace.