PESHAWAR, Sept 4: The NWFP home department is contemplating to appoint female probation officers as many juvenile girls and women in jails could not be relieved due to absence of female probation officers.

"We have sent a proposal to chief minister'ssecretariat regarding the appointment of four female probation officersat Abbotabad, Swat, Peshawar and D.I.Khan," an official of home department told Dawn.

Females facing trials in different cases were senton probation under the responsibility of male probation officers as there was not a single female probation officer in the province.

Under the Probation Ordinance 1961 those females who have committed first offence should be given a chance to reform themselves but they could be released on probation only under the observation of a female probation officer.

"Courts have released 21 females on probation under the observation of male probation officers as there is no female probation officer and not a single one is released on parole as yet," an official said.

The female probationers have to appear periodically before the male probation officer and they are at the mercy of the probation officer.

"There is a possibility that women probationers can be exploited by male probation officers that is the reason there is a need for the female probation officers," the chairperson of "The Voice of Prisoners" and an advocate Noor Alam Khan said.

Mr Khan suggested that there should be at least one female probation officer in each district but at the moment there were only two female probation officers in Punjab while the other provinces had none.

"The number of male probation officers is only 13 in NWFP. They are already facing lack of facilities," Mr Khan said.

Male probation officers are so overburdened that it is humanly impossible for them to perform their duties. They have no time and resources to handle a large number of probationers especially women probationers.

"I don't even have a telephone in my one-room office so how can I keep myself informed of all the probationers from various districts at the same time," a probation officer appointed at Peshawar district said.

Those females who have committed a crime where they can be sentenced to less than life imprisonment or death penalty can be released on probation so that they can reform themselves.

Advocate Noor Alam Khan said that many girls who were accused of drug trafficking were not hardened criminals as they weretrapped in many cases so they should be given a chance to reform by sending them on probation.

Muskan, a 17-year-old girl, was forced to become a drug pusher by her male friend who had promised to marry her only if she earned quick money by joining him in this illegal trade.

Many girls under 18, had been released on probation under the male probation officers only because the law did not clearly define 'a juvenile' and differentiate between a juvenile girl and juvenile boy.

"This again leaves a lot of possibility of exploitation of girls at the hands of the male probation officers," said Mr Khan.

There were 51 juvenile prisoners in the NWFP. At the moment there are 28 children aging between six months to five years who are spending their childhood in prison because their mothers are facing trials or convicted mostly in drug trafficking or imprisoned under Hudood laws.

"Jails are universities of crime and females and juveniles who have imprisoned for less serious crimes should bereleased on probation," said Mr Khan.