No women probation, parole officers in Sindh

KARACHI, Feb 25: The caretaker Sindh Minister for Population Welfare and Women Development, Nadira Panjwani, said that all steps would be taken to ensure the recruitment of woman probation and parole officers in the province.

She said that efforts would also be made to get the Child Protection Bill 2005 passed to ensure that children were protected from violence and abuse.

She was talking to a two-member delegation of an NGO that called on the minister in her office on Monday.

The provincial minister said that child protection and reformation of juveniles was an important task for which the government with credible NGOs would extend assistance to children in jails.

She also stressed the need for providing more skill development facilities in Youthful Offender School in Karachi and in various borstals.

The minister also informed the delegates about the Sindh Women Development Depart-ment’s revolving fund of Rs20million through which female prisoners and juveniles could get benefit in respect of their payment of fines, diyat and surety amounts, if they were unable to pay after completing their sentences.

Earlier, the delegation apprised the minister of the activities and objectives of their organisation with field offices in 40 districts across the country. They said that 13 of the field offices were based in Sindh with special focus on service delivery in prisons. They urged the relevant authorities to induct female probation and probation officers.–PPI
Source: Dawn
Date:2/26/2008