The Office of the Ombudsman is investigating a case of alleged child abuse at the government children’s home in Windhoek. This follows a newspaper front page article this week, about a 17-year-old girl claiming to have been abused by a male housemate. Since the newspaper article broke, more claims and allegations of this nature have been made against a children’s home in Windhoek’s Eros residential area. The 17-year-old and others like her claim the extent of sexual abuse of girls at the home is widespread and well-known. The home is said to yield impregnated girls fairly often. A social worker at the facility has confirmed to NBC News that such abuses take place there, but that inhabitants are barred from talking about it. The social worker said girls at the facility go through hardships, but then retracted as she did not have authority to speak about the hardships. Advocate John Walters has assured the nation that his office is investigating the serious allegations. Permanent Secretary of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Wilhencia Uiras, has also confirmed the investigation, declining to comment while the case is on. Uiras described the matter as private and confidential, adding that it requires protection of the identity of the alleged victims, who are all children.