The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a 'notice' to the Union Home Secretary seeking reasons for the postponement of the Special Task Force's (STF) meeting on women's safety along with the details of the deliberations convened at theHome Ministry level to tackle child rape in the city.
Maliwal also sought information on the progress of the Delhi Police's initiative to understand the psychologyand motivations of a rape accused (created in light of the Usha MehraCommission report) along with a report of the findings so far and the current status of the revised Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme 2015 proposed by the city government.
"As you are aware, Delhi is recording an increasing number of rape cases, especially of children. In the past one and a half months, there have been over 130 cases of rape. Out of this, over 50 are of children, two of whom were barely 1 year old," Maliwal said in the notice
"In light of the mounting and unabated incidence of rapes of women and children in Delhi, the Delhi Commission for Women takes strong note of a communication from the Home Ministry regarding the postponement of the 12th meeting of the Special Task Force (STF) on Women's Safety.
"The 12th STF meeting has been postponed several times and the previous meeting was held more than four months ago on the 2nd of December 2015," she said.
She further said that the Commissionhas taken strong note of the fact that the 11th STF meeting and the 10th STF meeting were both chaired by the Additional Secretary (CS) and not by the Home Secretary.
The last meeting that was chaired by the Home Secretary was the 9th STF, on the 14th of May 2015, Maliwal said.
Maliwal said that the Commission also recognises that the aforesaid STF is currently the only body in operation which involves representatives of both the Centre and State in tackling issues of women's safety in Delhi.
"In light of the above, the Commission directs you to provide detailed responses to the following:Reasons for the continuous postponement of the 12th meeting of the STFon women's safety.
Maliwal today met a four-year-old rape victim at AIIMS.
"She has cuts and bruises all over. She has been brutalised in most heinous manner. Rapes continuing unabated. Despite rapes happening everyday, MHA Special Task Force on women safety again postponed. Issued notice to MHA Home Secretary on child rapes. Wrote to Chief Secretary to take note of the issue of child rapes in Delhi. Central and state government need to urgently unite on this," she tweeted.
