As she completes two years as the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on July 27, Swati Maliwal talks to The Hindu about countering patriarchy in the government administration and the urgent need for an anti-misogyny cyber cell within the DCW, which has allegedly been held up by bureaucrats.
What are the changes that you brought about in the Commission?
When I took over the panel, the situation was pretty bad. There was no suitable work environment—telephones were not working, internet was missing, and there no proper staff. It was more like a kitty party that was going on here. I was also shocked to learn that the previous chief had handled only one case in the past eight years.
On the other hand, there was a long line of women trying to approach the Commission. It would take us six months just to tell some of the complainants that we would not be able to handle their cases and that they needed to visit higher authorities.
Now, we take action on each complaint within 72 hours, because of which we can handle nearly 12,000 cases in a year.
What are the challenges that you have faced in the last two years?
The challenges are two-fold. First, the moment we raise our voice and go to GB Road to break the multi-millionaire nexus that exists there, the system attacks us by registering cases against us.
The other challenge is to fight the patriarchy that exists in the system. The fact that a young woman is calling the shots is not acceptable to many. I have heard senior Delhi government officials saying “ kal ki yeh chhokri bataygi ki humey kya kaam karma hain [this newly appointed girl is going to tell us how to do our job]?” Here, gender and age become more important than the kind of work that is being done.
How are you planning to tackle misogyny on social media?
We are trying to set up a cyber cell that will have linkages with the police to take immediate action. Rape threats over social media cannot be taken lightly.
Also, families cannot pressure victims to back out from registering complaints because of the threats they get. Unfortunately, however, the formation of the panel has been held up by bureaucrats in the Delhi government.
What is the primary vision that you have as the DCW chief?
I want every woman in the city to feel safe. Despite being the DCW chief, I do not feel safe. This is something that I want to end.
How are you planning to put an end to the GB Road business?
The only reason why GB Road is being allowed to operate is because the system is complacent. However, we are trying to completely close down the red-light area.
As for the ones advocating for the legalisation of prostitution, I simply want to know if they are fine with their daughters taking up the profession.
What is next on your agenda?
We want to set up a high-level committee with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik and Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal as the members. Until these decision-makers meet at least once a month and resolve issues, nothing much will change.
Also, the society needs to collectively work towards removing the tag of Delhi being the “rape capital”. My only request is to let the Commission function properly.
All we are trying to do is to help people. Every child is a Nirbhaya, and we cannot let them die.
