Yaa Asantewa, 19, a trader, has appealed to the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs to help her find her six-month-old baby who was taken away by the Social Welfare Department in Koforidua in September 2009.
She said she reported the negligence of the child's father to the Department and that compelled her and the baby to be sleeping in the open.
Narrating her ordeal to the GNA in tears, Asantewa said when she gave birth on September 16 last year she was working with a local restaurant and was sacked because the restaurant owner claimed that she could not work while nursing the baby.
She said she was neglected by the man who impregnated her and so the hospital directed her to report to the Social Welfare Department.
Asantewa said the Department took the child from her with the explanation of taking care of her until the issue was resolved and she had a decent place to live with the baby.
She said she was later informed that the child was given to the family of the man without her consent.
She said not being happy with the situation she complained to the Department but had since then been tossed up and down any time she went there to inquire about the whereabouts of her baby.
Asantewa said on one occasion the one in charge of the Department asked weather she would accept any substantial amount to enable the baby be adopted to which she said she got angry and decided to take the issue up to locate the whereabouts of the child
Asantewa said up till now she did not know the whereabouts of her child.
She told GNA that she had lodged a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
When GNA contacted the Regional offices of CHRAJ it was confirmed that the woman had lodged a complaint and investigations had been launched into
the matter.