DCW chief Swati Maliwal to end fast after POCSO amendment

NEW DELHI: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal on Saturday announced that she would break her indefinite fast tomorrow after the Union cabinet approved an ordinance to award death sentence to rapists of children below 12 years of age.

Maliwal has been sitting on a hunger strike for past nine days at Rajghat in New Delhi.

"The hunger strike is ending, but our struggle for women safety will continue," Maliwal told reporters here.

Earlier in the day, the DCW chief said she would not end her fast until something concrete happens to ensure the safety of a girl child.

She took to her Twitter handle and in a series of tweet said "I congratulate people of this country for this victory. Very few protests have achieved so much in such less time. But until something concrete happens, I will not give up. Until a system is there which ensures safety for the last girl, I won't give up." (sic)

"I will continue the fast until the ordinance is passed. Also police resources and accountability needs to be increased. Really sad that some channels are playing false news that I have broken the fast. Praying to all news channels conscience to kindly not report fake news," she added.

The Union cabinet approved a number of measures to strengthen the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. As per government sources, the cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the promulgation of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, for effective deterrence against commission of rape, thereby instilling a sense of security among women and especially young girls in the country.

Also in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maliwal listed out her six demands, which included the passage of the ordinance, recruitment of police personnel as per the United Nations standards and fixing accountability of the police force. (ANI)