Receiving the vehicle on behalf of the ministry, the sector Minister, Nana Oye Lithur, said the CAA was set up to ensure that adoption procedures in Ghana were properly regulated.

“It is a way for us to ensure that foster children and children given up for adoption are protected from abuse and harm of any sort”, she said.

She said some years ago there were media reports of child molestation, abuse and neglect in some foster homes, as well as the use of some of the homes for improper financial gain and child trafficking.

A major step the MoGCSP had taken towards addressing challenges in the adoption and foster care system in Ghana was its accession to the Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of inter-country adoption, also known as The Hague Convention, Nana Oye said.

Amendment of act

She said the step had enabled the Children’s Act 1998, Act 560, to be amended.

“I am happy to announce today that the Children’s Act Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament on November 3, this year”, she said.

According to her, the amendment to the Children’s Act ensured that established foster homes were duly approved and staffed with foster carers and agents and that they operated under best practices and procedures.

Appreciation

She expressed gratitude to UNICEF, on behalf of the government of Ghana, the ministry and the CAA, for providing financial support, furniture, equipment and logistics which had made work easier for the new unit.

“We look forward to an enduring working relationship with you and assure you that the government will continue to play its role in ensuring that all children, notwithstanding their status, are protected from harm and abuse of any form,” she added.

UNICEF

The UNICEF Representative in Ghana, Madam Susan Ngongi, who presented the car to the ministry, said the organisation was interested in the reformed procedures for adoption and was hopeful that they would go a long way to protect children.

“We realised that the CAA was not mobile but restricted, hence the decision to present the authority with a vehicle to help the members of staff move around easily”, she said.