Cops and govt must work hand in hand: Swati Maliwal

DNA spoke to the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal over rising cases of domestic violence, their repercussions and possible steps to overcome the issue.

How big do you think it is a problem for our society?

Domestic violence cases are extremely rampant. There are very few homes where it doesn’t take place. Every year, out of more than 12,000 cases that the Delhi Commission for Women receives, at least 70 per cent are of domestic violence. We really need to pay special attention to this.

What do you think makes the situation worse?

What is most unfortunate and horrifying is that domestic violence is not limited to a particular class. So, it can’t be eradicated by awareness or education. Many women hailing from the higher echelons of society have reported equal amount of violence. There has to be a system in place and deterrence from the government, so that such crimes do not take place at all.  If it does, the victim should not be left without help.

Why have we not been able to stop this?

It is unfortunate that despite the availability of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, such cases are on the rise. The entire machinery is clogged and is not functioning properly. Apart from these, courts are overloaded with cases and pendency is over 1,000 cases per court. This demotivates women from approaching the system. Even those claiming maintenance have witnessed a delay of 2-3 years which discourages them from taking legal action. Police send the victims for counselling regardless of how traumatic their experience has been. Even in the worst cases, the police shy away from registering FIRs. It has been seen that when a woman reports domestic violence, the police try to or advice her to settle the matter within the family. Further, the shortage of shelter homes is another problem. They cannot accommodate even a handful of women and those functioning are in poor state.

Which authority do you think is responsible and can contribute at best to improve the condition?

It has to be a collective responsibility. While the government needs to improve the condition and availability of shelter homes, the Centre should focus on reducing court’s pendency or set up more courts. The police need to be more sensitive towards the victims. Steps need to be taken to deter the occurrence of the crime.