PROJECT CONCEPT FORM FOR NEW PROJECTS/INITIATIVES
2020-21
Estimated cost: 50.00 Million
1 Title of the proposed
Project
2 Proponent Information
3 Goals & Objectives set to
be achieved
Establishment of an All-Blaochistan Four (4)-
Digit Helpline of the WDD to Facilitate
Women In Crises/Victims of VAW or Other
Kinds of Crimes Against Women
INTRODUCTION: It is important to point out
at the very beginning as to what kind of
services the Women Development Department
(WDD) is mandated to provide under the
Government of Balochistan Rules of Business,
2012. The Department provides services
essentially in three (3) mutually-supporting
streams, viz:-
(1)Protection services for women/girls that
have already fallen victim (or are vulnerable)
to violence against women (VAW), which the
Department’s Women Crises Centers& Shelter
Homes (SBBCWs) render;
(2)Empowerment/mainstreaming services
to ensure that women are empowered and
mainstreamed in all spheres of life, thereby
not only contributing further to the socio-
economic development of the Province but
also become less dependent on others,
economically and financially, thus becoming
less likely to fall victim to crimes such as
VAW and trafficking in persons (TIP;), and
(3)Monitoring & Evaluation of the above-
mentioned two lines of service,
independently as well as in collaboration with
partner establishments such as Local,
Provincial and Federal Government
Departments/offices, the law enforcement
agencies (LEAs), local and (inter)national
NGOs/VSWAs, the media, women and human
rights activists, the judiciary and the legal
community, educationists/academia, etc.
The proposed project will greatly help
in/expedite public-sector efforts for the
protection, rehabilitation and socio-
economic empowerment of women by
rendering services as follows:-
(i)Be operational twenty four (24) hours
a day, seven (7) days a week;
 (ii)Immediately, sensibly and with
utmost confidentiality respond to
emergency as well as non-emergency calls
from women from all over the Province, with
special response protocols/procedure for
women/persons with disabilities, especially
the hearing- or speech-impaired, that are
either in distress/crises or have fallen victims
to VAW/TIP/other crimes, or fearing that they
are likely to become victims of such crimes, or
women seeking information about
services/offices/personnel/projects/resources
in their areas of residence/work where they
may be able to access services/facilities
related to VAW/GBV (such as those provided
by the SBBCWs of the WDD, the solitary Dar-
ul-Amaan of the Social Welfare Department,
or the Government-approved partner human
rights agencies/VSWAs/(I)NGOs), medico-
legal examination, psychological counselling,
Police/law-enforcement, Courts,
Ombudsperson(s), health, education,
employment, accommodation (such as
working women/youth hostels), finance and
banking, etc;

(iii)Refer/directthe callers/complainants
to the nearest and most appropriate
offices/personnel/service providers. (To this
end, the Helpline would be networked with
the focal points of all responding
establishments/agencies, be they in the
public sector or the private/non-governmental
one);

(iv) Extract and analyse data from calls of

the previous twenty four hours and generate a
daily progress report (DPR) for submission to
the Director, WDD, pointing out the
challenges/extraordinary
circumstances/aspects of cases that may
qualify them as such, recommending remedial
measures (if any). (The WDD on its part would
generate a monthly as well as a quarterly
progress report (MPR & QPR) for submission
to the higher authorities, viz, the Chief
Secretary and the Chief Minister Balochistan);

Linked up with the GMIS (another project

proposed by the WDD for PSDP 2020-21),
the proposed Helpline would also enable
the Provincial Government/the WDD to

4 Rationale for ADP/Sector
Plan Funding
judge the effectiveness of their
operations/performance and that of the
various private/non-governmental
establishments regarding women
protection and empowerment, help
identify gaps/dysfunctional
offices/projects, and result in launching of
targeted interventions/projects.
Furthermore, in line with the WDD’s
Gender Equality and Women Empowerment
Policy, 2013, duly re-aligned with SDGs
and being notified as GEWE, 2020, as well
as the principles of the under-preparation
WDD Sectoral Plan which already stand
reflected in the GEWE, 2020, the WDD
Balochistan is bound to establish such a
facility/Helpline on utmost priority
(relevant portion thereof highlighted at
S.No 9 ahead).
Moreover, the proposed project would
generate permanent employment
opportunities of various pay scales (gazetted
as well as non-gazetted) for Balochistan-
domiciled people for positions requiring the
requisite technical/professional skills,
training and/or experience, as well as people
with administrative training/experience for
managerial and ministerial posts, as per the
Government’s recruitment policy in vogue at
that time.
Thus, for all the reasons cited supra, the
project is proposed to be included in the
PSDP 2020-21.
RATIONALE BEHIND THE PROJECT: It is
no secret that compared with the rest of the
federating units of Pakistan, the social set-up
of Balochistan, even in its most advanced
urban population centers, is still the most
conservative in the country. The deeply-
entrenched tribal/feudal system, overseen by
“sardars”, has a pervasive, inhibiting effect
across the entire spectrum of activities, all the
more so on women’s emancipation in the
Province. In its Annual Report, 2017, the
Aurat Foundation (a VSWA) showed that at
least 190 FIR-registered cases of violence
against women (VAW, all categories thereof
included) occurred in Balochistan in 2014,
compared with 151 cases in 2013. District
Quetta ranked as the 8th worst District in

5 Geographical Coverage (For
whole Province or specific
district/tehsil).
6 Is the Project aligned with
Sector Plan
Pakistan in relation to number of reported
cases (eight) of domestic violence, and the 7 th
worst in terms of acid-throwing (three). The
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
(HRCP) has reported 360 cases of VAW in
the Province in 2017, with the qualifierthat
they represented just the proverbial tip of the
iceberg. It is generally acknowledged that a
large number of cases of VAW/women in
crises go unreported. Moreover, keeping in
view the increasingly turbulent economic
situation of the country/province, and with
natural calamities occurring more frequently
than before due to speeded-up climate
change, the incidences of abuse/exploitation
of women and children is expected to rise.
While there are exclusive provisions in
existing pro-women laws of the Province that
call for the establishment of such a Helpline,
such as vide Section 13 of the Balochistan
Protection Against Harassment of Women at
Workplace Act, 2016, and all civilized
societies around the world have already put in
place such Helplines on the basis of ground
realities and common sense, regrettably, there
is no such women-specific Helpline/Hotline
service in existence under the auspices of any
establishment of the Provincial Government at
present, which is a huge impediment in the
path of efforts for protection, rehabilitation
and empowerment of women. The
establishment of such a Helpline is thus
already way overdue.
Building of the SBBCW/Women Crises Center
& Shelter Home, Quetta that would also
accommodate the Helpline Center, would be
constructed;
Though the Sector Plan is under preparation,
its elements are reflected in the Gender
Equality & Women Empowerment (GEWE)
Policy, 2013, as well as the revised/updated
edition thereof, viz, the GEWE Policy, 2020,
that has been re-aligned with the SDGs. Thus
the proposed project is completely in
accordance with objectives and elements of
the upcoming Sector Plan.
The project is directly linked with and will
greatly help achieve SDGs No 5 (Gender
Equality), No 8 (Decent Work and Economic
Growth), No 9 (Industry, Innovation and
Infrastructure), No 10 (Reduced Inequalities),
and No 16 (Peace and Justice,Strong
 Institutions) along with their respective targets,
while also contributing to the achievement of
all of the other SDGs.
7 Relationship of the Project The project itself will not only be a proof of
development studies implementation of the sectoral
mentioned in Letter plan/objectives cited ante but also be the
engine behind the Department’s efforts to
ensure protection of women, their socio-
economic empowerment, and encouraging
their increased participation in all sectors of
public life.
8 Nearest place where similar NONE of the public sector entities of
facility is available Balochistan have a Helpline that includes all
parameters and indicators reflecting the
status and well-being of women.
Consequently, policy-makers and
implementing agencies are perpetually
hindered in one respect or the other for want
of information, thereby practically working in
isolation from each other. Hence, the proposal
to create the Women Helpline under the
auspices of the WDD through PSDP 2020-
21.
9 Gestation Period Two years (24 months)
1 Financial Phasing 50% (i.e, Rs25.00 million) for the first year
0 and the remaining 50% for the next year
1 Detail of post completion - Project will be constructed through
1 annual operation and Govt. Contractors
maintenance cost (AOM&R) - Government
- Maintenance,
- Government
- HR
- Operation - Government
- Repair & Others - NIL
1 Beneficiaries (Type & In service-delivery terms, potentially the
2 Number) entire female population of the Province, plus
Government functionaries / public
representatives concerned with
policy/decision-making, legislation, and the
implementation thereof;
1 Expected Output  The relevant provisions of the GEWE
3 (Qualitative & Quantitative) Policy, 2020, duly reflected in the principles
of the under-preparation Sectoral Plan, would
stand implemented;

 Women in crises/victims of VAW

and/or other crimes get help and advice
immediately and around the clock, with
the help of just one phone call/text
message/email;

 A scientific monitoring of
performance by first-responders, and facts
and figures generated by the Helpline
service, leading to evaluation and
identification of gaps for necessary action,
as well as accountability of defaulting
agencies/officials, is enabled;

 Over the medium- and long-term, a

noticeable improvement in the socio-
economic standing of the women of the
Province, particularly in terms of the
extent of the protection accorded to them
(corresponding with a falling annual
number of cases of VAW/women in crises
through an expeditious redressal of
complaints related to VAW and TIP, as well
as other crises faced by women), as well as
their increased participation in economic
activities (resulting in greater financial
security for them, in particular, and their
enhanced participation in the overall
public domain, in general), would become
evident, the proof whereof would be borne
out by the periodic audits/surveys/reports
issued by various renowned public as well as
private / non-government
establishments / organizations such as the
National Commission on the Status of Women
(NCSW), FAFEN, SDPI, Aurat Foundation,
Homenet, Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan (HRCP), the UN-WOMEN
Balochistan/Pakistan, the UNDP
Balochistan/Pakistan, the WHO
Balochistan/Pakistan, the UNICEF
Balochistan/Pakistan, the World Bank, the
Asian Development Bank, the EU GSP-Plus
M&E Taskforce, the US AID, the Provincial
and the International Committees for the
implantation of CEDAW, offices of the
Provincial & Federal Ombudspersons, office of
the Provincial Ombudsperson for Protection of
Women Against Harassment at Workplace,
the FIA Quetta Circle/HQ, Islamabad, the
NAB Balochistan/HQ, Islamabad, the Anti-
Corruption Establishment Balochistan
(ACEB), the local and national media, and
academic and research and training
institutions such as colleges and universities
of Balochistan/Pakistan, PARD, NIM (NSPP),
etc;

A limited number of employment

opportunities generated for
professionally /technically-qualified
persons domiciled in Balochistan, as well

1 Priority (Indicate Top,
4 Normal, or Low)
as for a limited number of locals that can
be appointed against positions in the
administrative, ministerial/clerical cadres,
as per the then recruitment policy of the
Government;
TOP

It is certified that the subject scheme is technically feasible, economically

viable and beneficial to community/ public at large.

Verified by

Secretary, WDD