ISLAMABAD-Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Shelter Home and Women Centre set up to address the plight of women needs to consider the grievances of its own employees who have been seeking regularisation of their jobs for the last five years. The centre that was set up some five years ago in 2004 for providing protection to women victims of domestic violence, social injustice and exploitation could show remarkable progress if the Ministry of Women Development shunned its bureaucratic apathy towards the centre. Since its establishment, the shelter home has made significant contributions towards bringing the women issues to limelight by providing protection, justice and relief to hundreds of women. However, the employees of shelter home, most of whom work round-the-clock, are being neglected by the quarters concerned regarding approval of perks and privileges, salaries and nature of job. TheNation has learnt that twenty-three government employees were working on contract basis in the Centre located at H-8 Sector. Ministry of Women Development is running the shelter home on 'makeshift basis as the centre is being run as a project since its formation. After every six months, the contract of employees is renewed for the next six months. Initially, the women centre was established as a five-year project. The project would be completing its tenure in the next month, after which it would be given a further extension of one year, this scribe reliably learnt. In addition, the salaries offered to the lower rank staff members of the said centre are even lesser than the minimum wages prescribed by the government. The salary being paid to the security guards or peons of the centre range from Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500 per month as compared to Rs 6,000 prescribed by the government. Moreover, no extra bonuses, perks and privileges are offered to majority of those employees who work twenty four hours in the shelter home. The governance of the centre on project basis, with half-yearly extensions being given to the employees, has created a sense of uncertainty and insecurity among them. During a visit to the centre, dozens of women of different age groups told this correspondent that the centre was playing an active role in providing relief, rehabilitation and justice to them. Some of the victims of domestic violence, who were burnt by their in-laws or husbands as well as the victims of torture and physical abuse said that they were being provided medical aid, legal consultation, food residence and security. Rehana Yaqoob, the Manager of shelter home said that on the average, the shelter home accommodated 40 to 50 female victims along with their children but the number varied on monthly basis with the increase or decrease of the victims every month. She said the H-8 centre was divided into two portions comprising women centre and shelter home. Women centre is providing legal aid to victims on day-care basis while shelter home extends legal, medical and humanitarian aid to victims by providing them a reasonable food, accommodation and security. It merits mentioning here that about 23 women centres are operating across Pakistan, while only one shelter home is working currently. Allocation of maximum funds for Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women Centre and Shelter Home could increase its existing capacity plus the due consideration to the problems of employees could enhance its progress. TheNation tried to contact the spokesman of the Ministry of Women Development only to know if any official had been assigned the duties of a focal person, spokesman or Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry. Some officials wishing anonymity confided that the previous government had started the shelter home project and its working on project basis. The present government had no intentions to streamline its working mechanism, they added.