Malaysian police rescued 402 children from 18 religious care homes before arresting 171 suspects following disturbing allegations that the minors were tortured and raped as part of religious treatment.
Police raids on homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan states on Wednesday revealed that some of the victims, aged between one and 17, were allegedly forced to perform sexual acts on each other, while others were punished with hot spoons, Inspector General of Police Razarudin Husain told a news conference.
In his heartbreaking statement, Razarudin told reporters that some of the suspects, aged between 17 and 64, allegedly touched the minors, claiming it was part of a religious treatment.
Children were also “punished using hot metal objects” and those who fell ill inside the homes were prohibited from seeking medical treatment until their condition became critical.
“There were some children, as young as five, who were burned with a hot spoon for making a mistake. The caretakers also touched the children’s bodies as if they were carrying out ‘medical checks’,” he said.
Police raids on 18 religious care homes in the states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan on Wednesday led to the rescue of 402 children
Many of the children were not orphans, but were sent to homes by their parents to receive religious education.
“Child victims and religious sentiments were used to gain sympathy and funds from abroad,” he said.
Following their rescue, the children have been temporarily housed at a police station in Kuala Lumpur and will undergo vital health checks in a process that will take around two weeks.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that many of the children were not orphans but were placed in foster homes by their parents so they could receive religious education, the Malaysian newspaper reported. The star.
The nursing homes are believed to be linked to a major Islamic conglomerate, the Islamic Global Ikhwan Group (GISB), which has issued a statement denying any wrongdoing.
The raids were prompted by reports that emerged earlier this month of child exploitation, sexual abuse and harassment at another care facility in Port Dickson.
“Based on that, the police opened eight investigation documents; four in Selangor and four in Negri Sembilan,” Razarudin said.
The Port Dickson case that led to Wednesday’s large-scale operation saw six arrests, with the suspects ranging in age from 20 to 40.
Police quickly launched an investigation into GISB over allegations of child exploitation and have since confirmed the two cases are linked.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said his findings revealed that the entire operation of the GISB is based on setting up care homes to collect donations.
The group denied the allegations on Wednesday and pledged to cooperate with authorities during their investigation.
On Facebook, they stated: ‘Our position is very clear: we are committed to always adhering to the law and supporting the government’s aspirations for the development of the country.
‘The company will not engage in any activities that go against the law, particularly with regard to child exploitation.’
Global Ikhwan’s website says it is involved in a wide range of businesses, including food and beverage, media, medical, travel and property.
It employs more than 5,000 people and has branches in 20 countries, including a chain of restaurants in London, Paris, Australia and Dubai, among others.
Following the horrific incident, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission called for stricter regulations in nursing homes.
“The problem is that these places are not properly regulated or supervised,” said Children’s Commissioner Farah Nini Dusuki. Free Malaysia today.
“We have a serious problem with monitoring and supervision, so we need the community to be more alert,” he said.
Of the 402 children who were rescued, 201 were girls and 201 were boys.
Razarudin said a teacher and the dormitory’s caretakers were among the suspects who were arrested.
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