Women crisis centres all over the country not only failed to utilise the allocated budget in the financial year 2009-10 despite an alarming increase in the number of violence-hit women but also illegally retained Rs 17.16 million in their commercial bank accounts.
On the other hand, according to the annual report by Aurat Foundation, 8,000 women were subjected to violence last year. The failure of the women crisis centres to spend the allocated budget reflects either their apathy towards distressed women or lack of awareness among victim women regarding such rescue/welfare centres in the country. The ministry manages 25 women crisis centres, known as Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Centres for Women. According to the Audit Report 2010-11 on the accounts of the ministry, the funds released to these centres during 2009-10 were not fully utilised by them and Rs 17.158 million were lying unspent in commercial bank accounts at the end of the financial year. It further says the approval of the Finance Ministry was not obtained by the Ministry of Women Development to open these accounts while these centres were not supposed to retain unutilised funds after the closure of the financial year.
“By retaining unspent balance of allocated funds, the funds are made vulnerable to misuse. It is worth mentioning that the details of unspent balances at the centers in Hyderabad, Muzaffargarh, Jacobabad and Mirpur (AJK) were not provided to the audit team,” says the report. The management in its response mentioned that the Ministry of Finance was being approached for allowing retention of unspent balances.
When contacted, Dr Farzana Bari, a women rights activist, said: “The budgetary allocation for women development sector is already very low but if the released funds are not utilised, it shows the weakness of the Women Development Ministry and the crisis centres.” She said lack of accountability was another factor involved in this corruption. While talking about the women facing violence of any form, Bari said they needed shelters, but due to inefficiency and corruption of such institutions, they did not get any help.