As Maliwal bids adieu, DCW highlights her extensive tenure

DCW dealt with over 1.7 lakh cases to ensure safety of women & girls in 8-year tenure of outgoing chairperson Swati Maliwal.

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Friday said it dealt with more than 1.7 lakh cases for ensuring the safety of women and girls during the eight-year tenure of its outgoing chairperson Swati Maliwal.

Hours after the ruling Aam Aadmi Party announced her candidature for Delhi’s Rajya Sabha election, Ms. Maliwal submitted her resignation from the statutory body.

According to the commission’s ‘Impact & Initiatives’ report, only 20,000 cases were taken up during the previous chairperson’s tenure from 2007 to 2015. It also elaborated on the DCW’s role in ensuring women’s rights in the workplace, the 2015 amendment of the Juvenile Justice Act, Ms. Maliwal’s visit to Manipur during the ethnic clashes, and the ‘Rape Roko’ campaign she launched in 2018, etc.

In a statement, the commission said over 2,500 women and children were rescued from various dangers such as trafficking, child marriage, child labour, and illegal confinement under Ms. Maliwal’s leadership.

Speaking to reporters during the release of the report, Ms. Maliwal said the DCW’s ‘Rape Crisis Cell’ received over 41 lakh calls on the women’s helpline 181. “We assisted survivors in 1,97,479 court hearings and counselled over 60,000 sexual assault survivors,” she added.

Ms. Maliwal — who took over as the DCW chief on July 29, 2015 — also highlighted other initiatives, including advocating for a special task force, tackling over-the-counter sale of acid in the Capital, as well as exposing illegal liquor and drug sales. “In the past, years many women’s commissions from several states like Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha have paid a visit to the DCW to study its working style,” she said.

Through its focus on rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and cybercrimes against women as well as hunger strikes to protest rising cases of child rape, the DCW showcased its grit to fight violence against minorities, Ms. Maliwal said.