Obuasi, June 15, GNA - Child delinquency is reported to be on the increase in the Obuasi municipality and Mr Wallace Acheampong, the Obuasi Municipal Social Welfare Officer, attributed this to the non-maintenance of children and separation. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Obuasi on Monday, he said 109 out of the 151 cases treated at his office involved lack of maintenance and family reconciliation.

"Child delinquency is a problem in the municipality which needs collaborative action to deal with", he said. Mr Acheampong said parents, especially fathers, should be more responsible in caring for their children and they should live up to their responsibilities.

''You should not limit yourselves to the payment of school fees but you should monitor your children during school period to curb the practice of some students becoming vagabonds without the knowledge parents.''

Mr Acheampong, who is a Senior Social Development Officer, said a new phenomenon at which some men now accepted responsibility for pregnancies but refused to take care of the child after delivery had reared its head in the municipality.

He said it was important for young women to avoid rushing into early marriages and they should take advantage of the government Skills Training and Employment Programme to prepare for life. Mr Acheampong said his outfit was facing some constraints to deal effectively with the social problems in the municipality and appealed to the government and non-governmental organisations for logistical and financial support.