‘Father sexually assaulted me during childhood’: DCW Chief

I was miserably beaten and sexually assaulted by my father during my childhood, said Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal on March 7.

Opening up about her traumatic experiences, Maliwal shared that the sexual assault occurred repeatedly until Class 4 when she lived with her father. Speaking at an award function organized by the women's commission to honor courageous women, Maliwal said that the event stirred up emotions within her and reminded her of her own struggle.

"My father used to beat me up a lot. I used to hide under the bed when he came home, I was so scared. At that time, I used to think the whole night about how to empower women against such atrocities. He used to hold my hair and hit my head hard against the wall. But I believe that ignited the determination in me to work for the welfare of the women," Swati Maliwal said adding that she stayed with his father till class four.

Maliwal became the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women in 2015 and later her tenure was extended by the Delhi Government. Before leading DCW, she worked as the advisor of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Swati Maliwal was married to former Haryana AAP chief Naveen Jaihind. They got separated in 2020.

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