DCW top post vacant for a year, helplines defunct

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) is facing a leadership crisis, with no nominated members or chairperson in place since July 26, despite the three-year term of its previous office-bearers has ended.

The commission has been without a chief since January 2024, when former chairperson Swati Maliwal resigned after her nomination to the Rajya Sabha. Despite a legal requirement for the government to nominate members and a Home Ministry order dated September 3 empowering the L-G to make such appointments, the posts remain unfilled.

The absence of leadership has left several of the commission’s flagship initiatives, including the Rape Crisis Cell, Sahyogini, and the Crisis Intervention Cell, in limbo.

Staff members said the DCW’s helpdesk number is non-functional, while phone numbers linked to the chairperson and member secretary are suspended due to unpaid bills. The women’s helpline 181, previously under the DCW’s charge, was transferred to the Women and Child Development Department.

In 2023 alone, the helpline received around 7.56 lakh calls from women seeking assistance. With three dysfunctional helplines and no functional commission members, the DCW faces mounting criticism for failing to provide timely support to women in distress.