State-sponsored investigations into the Osu Children’s Home are to begin on Wednesday September 8, after the Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Enoch Teye Mensah, inaugurated a nine-member Committee to probe allegations of child neglect and widespread corruption against staff of the home.
Over the last week, the Osu Children’s home has been in the news for the wrong reasons, after Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, released an explosive video documentary on the extent of rot at the Home.
At a short ceremony in Accra to inaugurate the Committee, Hon E.T Mensah told journalists Government felt was moved by the scenes captured by Anas Aremeyaw’s secrete cameras and has resolved to use the nine-member Committee to probe the home for the appropriate action.
“This Committee would be expected to go beyond the specific case of abuse neglect and pilfering in the tape, but also take a holistic view of the child protection system in Ghana.
"The terms of reference of the Committee are to reveal the full text of the video footage, the structure of the Osu Children’s Home, examine the modus-operandi of the institution including general administration, financial administration, source of income, resources for the institution and to identify any act of omission or commission that resulted in the alleged abuses at the Home" he said.
The Committee is also to examine general conditions prevailing at the Home and the Staff strength among others.
The Minister urged the Committee to work with an open mind and present its report within the stipulated three weeks duration which ends by the close of September 2010.
Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas has vowed not to collaborate with the committee in its work following some comments that the Sector Minister is purported to have made rubbishing the 7-months undercover investigations.
The Deputy Employment Minister and Chairman of the Committee, Hon Antwi Boasiako Sekyere, told Citi News the committee’s work is also to ensure that sanity prevails in other Children’s homes across the country.
He assured of a transparent work and appealed to Anas Aremeyaw Anas to cooperate with the committee since he has the interest of children at heart.
