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About 80-90 percent of children in various orphanages in the Eastern Region, are not adoptable this is as a result of the Children’s Act 560, which stipulates the terms under which such children could be adopted.

Mr Harrison Tete-Donkor, the Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare, said all the children were found to be traceable and know their backgrounds and as stipulated by the Act, could not be given out for adoption.

Briefing an Orphan and Vulnerable Children Coordinating Committee Meeting in Koforidua, he said there was a tall list of applications for adoption, but because all the children were traceable and above the adoption age, they could not go ahead.

He said the region was having 13 functional orphanages owned by individuals, churches and organizations with a total of 245 children who are all above three years of age.

Mr Tete-Donkor said despite efforts to re-integrate children in the orphanages to society mainly through adoption, their ages and traceable backgrounds was making it difficult.

The Department of Social welfare, recently had close down several orphanages in the region for not meeting the operational criteria to protect the interest and de-institutionalization of such children.

Other issues discussed at the meeting included teenage pregnancy, child prostitution, Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) programme and its impact on school enrolment.

Nana Owusu Boateng, Chief of Jumapo, in the New Juaben Traditional Area, who chaired the meeting, expressed concern about the high rate of teenage pregnancies and called for stringent measures to deal with the situation.