'I was sexually assaulted by my father': DCW chief Swati Maliwal

Maliwal's revelation comes days after actor-turned-politician BJP's Khushbu Sundar, recounted her first-hand experience of sexual abuse at the age of eight by her father.

Delhi Commission for Women Chief Swati Maliwal on Saturday revealed that she has been a victim of sexual assault at the hand of her father when she was a child.

While speaking to the media after attending an event in Delhi, Maliwal said that her father sexually abused and tortured her till the time she lived with him.

"I was sexually assaulted by my father when I was a child. I was very small at that time. My father used to beat me up and I used to hide under the bed to save myself," she said. "While hiding under the bed, I used to think how I will teach a lesson to such men who abuse women and children, and how I can help women get their rights," Swati Maliwal expressed her ordeal alleging her father sexually assaulted her during childhood.

Narrating her ordeal, Maliwal said that her father would grab her by her braid and slam her against the wall, leading to severe bleeding. "This happened till I was in Class 4," she recalled.

Swati Maliwal is a social activist who now heads the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), a statutory body of the Government of Delhi, which is responsible for safeguarding the rights and interests of women in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, India.

Swati Maliwal was appointed as the Chairperson of the DCW in 2015, and during her tenure, she has been actively involved in various initiatives aimed at promoting women's safety and empowerment. She has launched several campaigns against crimes such as acid attacks, rape, and trafficking, and has also worked to improve the living conditions of women in Delhi's slums.

Before her appointment as the Chairperson of the DCW, Swati Maliwal worked as an activist with the NGO, Jan Satyagraha, and was involved in various social and political campaigns. She has also been associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a political party in India, and has worked closely with its founder, Arvind Kejriwal.

Maliwal's revelation comes days after actor-turned-politician BJP's Khushbu Sundar, recounted her first-hand experience of sexual abuse at the age of eight by her father.

"I think when a child is abused, it scars the child for life and it's not about a girl or a boy. My mother has been through the most abusive marriage. A man who probably thought it was his birthright to beat up his wife, beat up his children, sexually abuse his only daughter. When my abuse started I was just 8 years old and I had the courage to speak against him when I was 15," Khushbu said.