Swati Maliwal

Swati Maliwal (born 15 October 1984) is an Indian activist and politician. She is the current Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women. She is the youngest to hold the post. Before joining DCW, Swati Maliwal worked as the advisor to the Chief Minister of Delhi on public grievances.

Swati Maliwal
Chairperson Of Delhi Commission for Women
Assumed office
24 July 2015
Personal details
Born15 October 1984
Spouse(s)
Naveen Jaihind
​
(div. 2020)​
ResidenceNew Delhi, India
ProfessionPolitician
Known forChairperson of Delhi Commission of Women

Swati left her lucrative job at an MNC and joined an NGO called "Parivartan", where she worked as a volunteer for several years. She worked for the people in Bihar during the Kosi Floods. She was also an integral part of the RTI movement in the country and worked for several years trying to bring transparency in the ration PDS system in the capital. Swati was a core member of the Indian Against Corruption movement led by social activist Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal.

After the formation of the Arvind Kejriwal government in 2015, Swati Maliwal was appointed as the Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women on the merits of her long career in activism and social service. Ever since she has joined DCW, there has been a 700% increase in the work done by the commission. DCW handled more than 55,000 cases in a period of 3 years (2015–18), attended 235,000 calls on the 181 helpline. Swati believes that one can justify the post only if she works on the ground. In the year 2018, Swati did a 30-day work Satyagrah in which she worked 24*7 and used to sleep at the office after finishing her work. During the 30-day Satyagrah, DCW conducted various surprise inspections and fixed responsibilities of various officers who were found having a callous attitude towards their job.

Delhi Commission for Women under Swati Maliwal has conducted hundreds of successful rescue operations. DCW has cracked down on the GB Road nexus and rescued several women and children from the racket. Apart from this, Swati had also exposed the fake baba Virender dev who was allegedly involved in illegal activities in the garb of an ashram. After the expose, Swati got various death threats too but she refused to bow down to the threats.

In the year 2018, Swati launched the RapeRoko movement, which aimed at creating a massive level awareness about the situation of women safety in the country. The volunteers of this campaign collected 1 million signed letters from people all over the country and delivered the letters to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The letters demanded strong punishment for rapists. This campaign was supported by prominent personalities from all fields.

Personal life

Maliwal was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh on 15 October 1984,[1] in a Maheswari family. She went to Amity International School and then received a bachelor's degree in Information Technology from the JSS Academy of Technical Education.[1] Swati was married to Aam Aadmi Party leader Naveen Jaihind. They separated in February 2020.[2]

Political career

Maliwal started her first term as Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women in July 2015.[3] At the time, she was the Aam Aadmi Party leader.[3] Her tenure in the position was extended another three years in July 2018.[4] She is the youngest person to hold the role of commissioner for women.[5]

In 2018, she went on a 10-day hunger strike which started on 13 April.[6][7] She had several demands, including the passage of an ordinance requiring the death penalty for individuals who rape children under age 12, recruiting police under United Nations standards and demanding accountability of the police.[6] Maliwal sent her demands to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[8] Her strike took place during a series of protests surrounding two alleged rapes of girls ages 16 and 8.[7] On the 10th day of her hunger strike, an ordinance was brought in the parliament which had provision of death penalty for rapists who rape children below the age of 12 years. It was a huge achievement for her movement and on the 10th day, she decided to break her fast.

Members of an organization, Rape Roko (Stop Rape) were supportive of Maliwal.[7]

References
  1. Krishna, Srikanth (20 August 2018). "Who is Swati Maliwal and why is she on indefinite hunger strike?". IB Times. International Business Times. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  2. India Today Web Desk (19 February 2020). "My fairytale ended: DCW chief Swati Maliwal announces divorce from AAP leader Naveen Jaihind on Twitter: – India News". India Today. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  3. "Swati Maliwal Takes Charge as DCW Chief". The Pioneer. 21 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
  4. "Swati Maliwal's Term as DCW Chief Extended". Hindustan Times. 24 July 2018. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
  5. Safi, Michael (5 May 2017). "Her pain should be our pain': the woman tackling Delhi's rape crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  6. "DCW chief Swati Maliwal ends hunger strike after 10 days". Indian Express. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  7. "Indian women's commissioner on hunger strike over rape laws". Manveena Suri. CNN. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  8. "Swati Maliwal: Call to speed up child rape executions in India". BBC News. 16 December 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
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