KARACHI: The Ministry of Women’s Development has allocated Rs20 million for the legal assistance of female prisoners in Sindh province.

This was stated by Provincial Minister for Women Development Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto while addressing a press conference at her office here on Thursday. She said that the Ministry of Women Development was not active in the past but they had speeded up the work of women development as per the vision of slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. She said that they had allocated Rs 20 million revolving fund for the legal assistance of female prisoners. She said this fund was just Rs 9.6 million in the past.

Ms Bhutto said that 171 women prisoners had got benefit from this revolving fund so far, saying that her ministry had supported 38 foreign female prisoners in their travel expenses so that they could reach their countries after completing their jail term.

She said that her ministry had celebrated a mediation week from 24th to 29th May 2010, and provided training to 25 master trainers for the legal empowerment of women.

Tauqir Fatima said that their women faced unemployment, and they had provided training to 2100 girls under the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Program (BBSYDP).

She said they had provided training to 500 women of Sindh, including 18 towns of Karachi in different trades, besides paying them monthly stipend of Rs4000 under the Ministry’s Baby Child Training Program.

She said that majority of their women were illiterate that was why their rights were being violated. “We have organized many seminars and conferences in the province in order to aware women and society for the rights of women.”

Tauqeer Fatima said her ministry had established five complaint centers in the province in order to provide justice to women at their doorsteps. She said that there was a day-care center under the Women’s Development Ministry, where they provided many facilities to children at a nominal service charges. She said her ministry was willing to establish another day-care centre in the Karachi University, which would facilitate women employees of the university.

“We are striving hard to strengthen role of women of the province in this connection. We have established vocational centers, hostel for working women, media cell, shelter homes, resource centers and many other projects,” she said.

To a question, she said that in the past, the shelter homes were misused but they had made strict policies in this regard.

Source: Daily Times

Date:2/4/2011