GENERAL NEWS

It’s illegal to give your children to someone to care for them – Gender Ministry

The Gender Ministry says it is wrong for mothers to give their children to others to take care of them.

According to the ministry, giving once child for upkeep by another family is illegal per Ghana’s laws.

It is common practice in Ghana for poor families to offer their children to others to take care of them while the children in turn provide domestic assistance to the caretaker family. There is often no documentation covering the arrangement. Despite common knowledge that most children offered under such arrangement suffer abuses, the practice has largely remained in place in many parts of the country.

Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Tuesday, Deputy Director and Head, Central Adoption Authority of the ministry Stephen Dombo said it is also wrong for people to nurse pregnant women just so they could adopt the babies.

“It’s illegal to take your child and hand him/her to another person to take care of him/her. You bring the child to the social welfare.

“There are people who’ll encourage some young women to carry their babies and adopt after they deliver and that’s illegal. I feel that people need to be educated. If they’re educated, they’ll not do the things they’re doing. Example, if you pick an abandoned child, you don’t keep the child, you report to the police,” he said.

The development comes on the back of the baby harvesting syndicate which was busted last week.

Investigations by the Medical and Dental Council and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) led to the arrest of some doctors, nurses and social workers in the illegal act of baby harvesting’ and ‘human trafficking’.

A joint statement revealed that the investigations were carried into the illegal activities between the periods of June to November, 2020.

As a result of these investigations, two medical doctors, two social workers, four nurses, two mothers and one traditional birth attendant have been arrested so far and are on bail pending further investigations.

According to the statement, Dr. Hope Mensah Quashie was arrested On Thursday, December 31, 2020. Dr. Mensah Quashie who works with the 37 Military Hospital was arrested at his private health facility named Susan Clinic located at Lartebiokorshie, a suburb of Accra. He allegedly sold the first baby boy to the team for an amount of Thirty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC30,000.00) in October, 2020.

He was arrested with three nurses who worked at his facility namely Sylvia Awuseh, John Adorey Effie and Angela Ametepe. They have been identified as his accomplices together with one Dede Gifty Anikpi, a traditional birth attendant at Bethlehem Maternity Home at Santoe a suburb of Kpone Katamanso, who referred the mother of the first baby to Susan Clinic.

 

Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

Related Articles

Back to top button