Many fathers who neglected their biological children are now fulfilling their parental duties with the efforts of the Department of Social Welfare in the Effutu Municipality.
Mr Godwill Francis Acquah, Municipal Director of the Department of Social Welfare in the Municipality said such parents were now honouring their monthly maintenance allowance to their children having been counselled.
Mr Acquah, who told the Ghana News Agency in Winneba on Monday, said each father pays between GH¢10 and GH¢15 monthly. The amount, he said, was an agreement reached between the Department and parents of the affected children.
He said between January and December 2008, his outfit received 131 complaints from some mothers against fathers, who refused to take responsibility of their children. This is against 84 cases reported in 2007 for the same period.
Forty per cent of these children, he said, are on breastfeeding and 60 percent under 17 years.
Mr Acquah said most of the fathers of these children in Municipality claimed to be unemployed hence their inability to look after their children.
According to him, 80 percent of the mothers are mostly teenagers, who are not in gainful employment, to enable them cater for the children.
He appealed to parents to reduce expenditure on clothing and other unessential items so as to invest in their children education.
Mr Acquah said it is an offence to refuse to cater for once child and therefore urged the youth to stay away from pre-marital sex to avoid having unwanted children.