Abuse, child labour and grooming in catalogue of abuses against children rescued from GISB-linked homes: IGP

KUALA LUMPUR – Some of the 402 child victims rescued from nursing homes affiliated with Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB Holdings) were subjected to physical and emotional abuse, police Inspector-General Tan Sri Razarudin Husain confirmed.

This was discovered during the screening process of 392 victims by the Ministry of Health, consisting of 202 boys and 190 girls. They are being further examined, especially on their emotional health.

The other 10 victims are people with disabilities who are under the care of the Social Welfare Department.

“The screening revealed that there were physical crimes (committed against the children), with the victims being beaten, whipped and pressed on their chests, as evident from viral videos on social media.

“In addition, there are elements of child abuse in the way (the victims) were raised, as well as child labor and exploitation,” Razarudin told a press conference at the Police Training Center (Pulapol) today.

Other signs of abuse found included child abandonment and malnutrition.

According to Razarudin, none of the female victims investigated so far have been sexually abused.

A total of 149 victims, aged between one and ten, have been transferred to four unknown safe locations. The remaining 243 victims will remain in Pulapol for the time being before being transferred to temporary nursing homes in stages, Razarudin said.

“We have identified the parents of most (victims) but we have not called them yet because many of them have not come forward to claim their children. Most of the victims are children of members of GISB Holdings, it is possible that their parents do not know that they have been rescued.

“It is also possible that they do not want to come forward to claim their children because GISB Holdings has said the children were orphans,” said Razarudin, who noted that it is possible that some parents’ marriages were not registered.

Earlier, Razarudin had said that police last Wednesday conducted a major raid on 13 children in shelters known as Ops Global, on suspicion that they were victims of sodomy.

Suspect arrested during raids confesses to child abuse

Meanwhile, Razarudin also said that a man, who happened to be one of the suspects arrested by police during the September 11 raids, had admitted to assaulting a boy at one of the searched nursing homes linked to GISB Holdings.

Razarudin said the man had confessed to assaulting the boy, after a video of a boy crying in pain as a man cursed at him circulated on social media last night.

“The police are now working on identifying the victim (in the video). The child could be one of the ones we rescued or he could still be there (as) the victims were not alone in one (care center). They were moved.”

The man was among 171 people arrested by police during raids on 20 nursing homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan, including hostel managers and teaching staff.

Razarudin also said that the police will today hand over three investigation documents opened in Negeri Sembilan to the Attorney General’s Chamber for further action.

Two of the documents, he said, relate to investigations under section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 into physical sexual abuse of a child, while the third document relates to investigations under section 354 of the Criminal Code into assault with intent to outrage a person.

Although authorities linked their investigation to GISB Holdings, the company has since denied conducting the nursing home raids, and has also denied involvement in exploitative child labor. – September 17, 2024

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