The Oforikrom Municipal Assembly on 27th September, 2022 inaugurated a seven-member Municipal Child Panel Committee in the Assembly’s conference room.

The committee will adjudicate issues of children’s welfare and mediate minor criminal and civil child matters concerning the rights of the child.

The team would also see to the protection and welfare of children as well as promote the rights of children within its area of authority. It will also ensure that government agencies and the Assembly liaise among themselves to address issues affecting children as stipulated by the children’s Act, 560 of 1998 section 27.

Inaugurating the panel, the Oforikrom Municipal Chief Executive, Hon Abraham Antwi advised the panel to be of good moral standing and adjudicate issues with transparency.

Hon. Abraham Antwi indicated that the Assembly was battling with lots of challenges such as irresponsible parenting and child labour, thus charging the panel to work hard to surmount them to pave way for sustainable development.

Members of the Panel drawn from the Social Services Sub-Committee Convener, the Traditional Council, the Justice and Security sub-committee member, a Social Worker, a member from the women’s group in the municipality and 2 people of High moral character in the municipality, took the oath of allegiance as required by the constitution.

The chairman of the panel, Hon. Kwame Owusu Bampoe called for the support of the Assembly and the Traditional Authority in the Municipality as well as parents to help inculcate discipline in the children.

He further called on the government to assist institutions and regulatory bodies with the needed resources to implement provisions in the children’s Act to ensure better development of the child.   

The committee is thus calling on the general public in the municipality to refer cases of parental neglect as well as minor criminal cases such as theft, alcohol offenses, vandalism, assault, robbery, fraud, burglary among others.