Malaysian police rescue 400 minors from Islamic Charity amid abuse allegations

Malaysian police said more than 400 children and teenagers, victims of sexual abuse, were rescued on Wednesday from the premises of a charity run by an Islamic commercial organisation.

Police also announced the arrest of 171 people, including religious teachers, who had links to the children. The arrests were part of a coordinated operation across 20 buildings in two Malaysian cities.

Malaysian Police Inspector General Razarudin Hussein said the operation took place on Wednesday, September 11. Among the rescued children were 201 boys and 201 girls, aged between one and 17.

These children were staying in charities run by the Global Services and Trade Organization or Ikhwan, a Malaysian organization active in various sectors including retail and laundries in Indonesia, Singapore, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, Australia and Thailand.

According to Reuters, the organization has ties to the Islamic sect al-Qalam, which has been banned in Malaysia since 1994. The Global Services and Trade Organization, or Ikhwan, has confirmed its ties to the sect.

Malaysian police revealed that the rescued children were the offspring of employees of the organization and were placed in the facilities shortly after birth. Police were acting on reports of abuse and sexual exploitation at the facilities received earlier this month.

Initial investigations show that the children were first sexually abused by their caregivers and then forced to abuse other children in the institutions. Police also reported that some children who did not obey their caregivers were burned on their backs and arms with hot spoons.

The disturbing revelations about Ikhwan’s Global Services and Trade Organization highlight serious ethical and legal concerns. The organization’s use of children for exploitation, combined with its controversial practices, underscores the need for continued monitoring and reform.