DCW handled over 11K cases in one yr; attended 2.21L calls in 6 months

New Delhi: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) in its Annual Report of 2015-16 claimed that since the reconstitution of the Commission in August 2015 to July 2016, it dealt with 11,268 complaints which is three times more from 3,498 cases dealt by the previous Commission during the same period. As many as 2.21 lakh calls were handled by the 181 Women Helpline in the past 6 months, since the Delhi government transferred the Helpline to DCW in February 2016.

The report further stated that 6,588 effective hearings were attended by lawyers of Rape Crisis Cell of the Commission in courts, 2,250 cases of sexual assault were dealt by counselors of Crisis Intervention Centre of the Commission. As many as 7,561 field visits were undertaken by the entire Commission.

Chairperson Swati Maliwal Jaihind has dealt with 487 cases and took suo moto cognizance in 208 cases. She has also made over 55 policy level recommendations to the government and conducted 59 visits and inspections. The Members of the Commission Dr Fraheen Malick, Promila Gupta and Sarika Chaudhary have held over 9,806 hearings this year and conducted 204 visits and inspections.

Swati Jai Hind herself conducted several raids to unearth illegal liquor sale and rescued many girls from human trafficking. The commission directly interacts with these rape victims and supports them in their struggle, constantly echoing with their pain.

On January 30, the news that an 8-month-old baby was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin shook the Capital. The man is reportedly the first cousin of the child and lived in the same building. The incident sparked agitation and protests. Following the incident, the Delhi Commission for Women announced a campaign, 'Rape Roko'. Campaigns against rape and women safety are not new in India but this campaign was different. The main focus of the 'Rape Roko' campaign was against the child sexual offenders.

Talking to Millennium Post, Swati Jai Hind said the present Commission has been working round the clock to aid women and girls in distress. It has been officially working on Saturdays and Sundays. "Despite working day and night, I am deeply saddened that children aged 8-month are being raped," said the DCW chairperson.