Parents of children in charities affiliated with GISB are members of the company: IGP

KUALA LUMPUR — The parents of some of the 402 children rescued from charity homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan where sexual abuse and exploitation allegedly took place are members of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd, the Inspector-General of Police said.

Tan Sri Razarudin Husain told Bernama police that they are working with relevant ministries and agencies to investigate the matter. This follows a major raid yesterday on 20 charitable institutions in the two states.

He said all victims are being documented and medically examined.

“We feel it is necessary to take DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) because we know that their parents are also members (of the company),” he told Bernama.

Earlier, GISB Holdings denied earlier statements by Razarudin that the company managed nursing homes that were raided by police yesterday.

The company also denies any involvement in child labor.

Police have identified the children in the homes suspected of being abused by their caregivers, Razarudin added today.

Police will investigate allegations of sodomy and sexual abuse and question the 402 rescued children, he added, noting that the process would take time due to the large number of people involved.

Razarudin said the investigation will also look at the education provided at these charities and whether or not these centres are licensed.

“We know that they (the children) should go to school, but that is not happening, and these centres have their own education system,” he said, adding that the police will be advised by the Ministry of Education on this matter.

All the houses searched have been temporarily closed following yesterday’s police raid.

Razarudin said police will also summon top management of the homes, including the director of GISB Holdings, for their statements, New Straits Times reported.

The affected houses are located in Hulu Selangor, North Klang, Shah Alam, Sepang, Kajang, Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya, according to the newspaper.

A total of 171 people have been arrested and detained for seven days starting today.

According to NST, police are investigating them under several laws, including the Child Act 2001, the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, the Anti-Trafficking in Person and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 and the Criminal Code.

The detainees are 66 men and 105 men who worked in the homes as carers, teachers and managers. They are between 17 and 64 years old.

Of the 402 arrested children, 201 are boys and 201 are girls. They are all between 1 and 17 years old.

Before the raid, police had received information about the homes, where children were reportedly sodomized and taught to do the same to other children.

Other abuses include touching the bodies of children as a form of “Islamic treatment,” denying proper medical treatment to the sick, punishing children with hot objects, and examining children to gain pity when collecting donations.

The case and the horrific allegations have drawn the attention of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). Malaysian representative Robert Gass said he was deeply shocked by what the 402 rescued children had experienced.

“These children have endured unimaginable horrors and require long-term professional medical and psychosocial support. The damage caused is severe and often has lifelong consequences,” he said in a statement.

Gass also warned that such nursing homes must be properly regulated and supervised by qualified social workers.

“As long as children in Malaysia remain in unregulated institutional care settings, they are at increased risk of violence and abuse,” he said. — September 12, 2024

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