Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal said that she was sexually assaulted by her father when she was a child, which she described as the "toughest" thing.
"My own father used to sexually assault me when I was a young girl. He used to beat me up a lot. I was terrified when he came home, and often hid under the bed," she said while talking to reporters in an award function organised by the women's commission. She added that she used to hide under her bed every night with fear and used to plan how she would help women get their due, and teach a lesson to such men who exploit children.
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"I used to bleed from the head on impact. I believe when a person suffers a lot of atrocities, only then do they understand the pain of others, and it awakens a fire that can shake the entire system," she further said.
Acknowledging the stories of other women at the event, she said that only such women who have gone through challenges can understand other's pain. "...I believe that ignited the determination in me to work for the welfare of the women," she said.
Recently, BJP leader and a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW), Khushbu Sundar spoke about her experience of child abuse at the "We The Women" town hall organized by Mojo Story in Jaipur. At 15 years of age, she started revolting against her father who then left the family in the lurch. "The toughest thing which took me long, not to forget, not to forgive but put it behind me and move forward was the abuse I faced as a child by my father. When a child is abused it scars the child for life," she said.
