Sexually Abused By Father As A Child: DCW Chief Swati Maliwal

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal confessed on Saturday (March 11) that her father sexually abused her when she was a child. Recalling the horrific incident, she said he used to beat her up and molest her until she was in class four.

‘Sexually Assaulted By Father’

#WATCH | "I was sexually assaulted by my father when I was a child. He used to beat me up, I used to hide under the bed," DCW chief Swati Maliwal expresses her ordeal alleging her father sexually assaulted her during childhood pic.twitter.com/GsUqKDh2w8

— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2023

Maliwal was attending the DCW International Women’s Day Awards ceremony when she spoke to reporters and said, “I was sexually assaulted by my father when I was a child. I was very small at that time. He used to beat me up, and I used to hide under the bed.”

While hiding from her father, Maliwal used to think about how she would treat such men who molested and harassed children and women and “how I can help women get their rights.”

While reliving the trauma, she shared that her father used to grab her by her braid and slam her head against the wall which would often lead to severe bleeding.

She believes that as a survivor she understands the trauma and challenges of others. People like her can understand the pain of others and become passionate enough to bring a change in the system.

“I think the same happened with me, and our other awardees also must have a similar story. Our awardees have inspired us to live life positively despite the struggle,” she added.

The award show was a means to encourage people who had shown exemplary courage and have been relentlessly working towards empowering women. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal felicitated the winners. Around 100 women were given titles issued by the Delhi Commission for women.

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‘Heard One Lakh Cases In The Last Six Years’

In the award show, Maliwal said that the person who was DCW Chief before she had heard only a case in the tenure of eight years. However, she said she had heard over one lakh such ordeals in the last six years.

“Every day, we get 2000 to 4000 calls on the 181 Women Helpline, and we help lakhs of women directly,” she added.

Speaking on the case of a Japanese tourist being molested by three men and a minor on Holi, Maliwal said she would issue a notice to the Delhi Police on the viral video. She said, “She (survivor) was feeling harassed, molested and screaming for help. Those men didn’t stop. We are issuing a notice to the Delhi Police. Those men should be identified and put behind jail.”

DCW Chief Maliwal’s confession came within a week of a similar ordeal shared by Khushbu Sundar, an actor and a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW). She spoke to the Press Trust of India and said her father sexually abused her when she was an eight-year-old. “When a child is abused, it scars the survivor for life,” she added.

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Her mother had been a victim of the most abusive marriage. Her father used to beat her and “sexually abused his only daughter, thinking it was his birthright, and that being a man, it was his right to do so.”