DCW Chief Swati Maliwal Claims Physical Harassment by her own Father

NEW DELHI: Swati Maliwal, the head of the Delhi Commission for Women, claimed on Saturday that her father had sexually assaulted her when she was younger.

Swati Maliwal, who participated in a women's commission-organized award ceremony, said the occasion left her feeling emotional since the honorees' struggles reminded her of her own—specifically, how her father had "sexually harassed" her.

"My father used to frequently beat me up. When dad used to come home, I used to run under the bed because I was so afraid. I used to spend the entire night back then considering how to protect women from such horrors. He used to slam my head against the wall while holding my hair. Yet, I think that sparked a desire in me to fight for the welfare of women”, Swati Maliwal said, adding that she remained with her father until she was in the fourth grade.

In 2015, Swati Maliwal was appointed chair of the Delhi Commission for Women as the Aam Aadmi Party took power. Later, her contract was extended. She served as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's advisor before taking the helm of DCW.

Naveen Jaihind, a former leader of the AAP in Haryana, was married to Swati Maliwal. In 2020, they got divorced. Maliwal is outspoken on social media about incidences of violence against women.

Maliwal said that she was assessing the security situation in Delhi at night in January, following back-to-back incidences of crime against women, when a drunk cab driver allegedly locked her hand in the car window and pulled her.

Khushbu Sundar, a former actor who is now a member of the BJP and the National Commission for Women, recently shared her personal account of being sexually abused by her father when she was eight years old.

"I believe that child abuse leaves a child with lifelong scars, regardless of whether the child is a girl or a boy. The most abusive marriage is the one my mom went through. A father who likely believed it was his birthright to physically attack his wife, sexually assault his only daughter, and beat up his children.”

“I was only 8 years old when my abuse began, and it took me until I was 15 before I found the guts to confront him”, according to Khushbu.

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