Tema, March 30, GNA - A total of 207 child maintenance cases were recorded by the Tema Metropolitan Office of the Social Welfare Department in 2009. The figure shows a reduction of 37 cases as against the 244 cases the Department received in 2008.

Mr George De-Graft Assan, Tema Metropolitan Social Welfare Officer, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Tuesday. Mr Assan said 170 of the cases were successfully settled, while 10 were withdrawn. Nineteen of the cases were transferred to the Family Tribunal, while four were still pending. He said majority of the cases were from Tema New Town (Manhean) and Tema Communities One and Two.

He said a total of 61 cases made up of paternity, child custody and maintenance cases were sent to the family tribunal by the Department in 2009. Out of the 61, 42 were successfully pursued, 13 partly trailed, while six were still pending. Mr Assan disclosed that his outfit handled 83 custody cases, out of which two were outstanding from 2008. Out of the 81 new custody cases received in 2009, 41 were successfully handled, 27 were unsuccessful and 13 still pending, he indicated. The Department, he said, handled 17 new paternity cases, with one of such cases brought forward from 2008. He stated that out of the 18 cases, 13 were successfully settled, with five still pending. The Social Welfare Officer indicated that his outfit received a total of 20 social enforcement cases from the court. Out of the 20, 11, eight and one were from the Juvenal, Magistrate, and Circuit Courts, respectively. Mr Assan advised the public to report their social welfare problems to the Department for settlement.