Malaysian police rescue 400 children from nursing homes after allegations of sexual abuse | Sexual abuse news

Warning: The story below contains details of nursing home abuse.

Malaysian authorities have rescued more than 400 children suspected of being sexually and physically abused at charities run by a prominent business group, police said.

After coordinated raids at 20 locations in two states on Wednesday, police rescued 402 children and arrested 171 adults, including religious teachers and caregivers, Inspector General of Police Razarudin Husain said.

The homes were managed by Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB), Razarudin said.

Religious authorities in Selangor state on Thursday expanded their investigation into GISB, saying the organization does not manage the homes.

The rescued children include 201 boys and 201 girls, aged between one and 17. Reports of alleged neglect, abuse, sexual harassment and assault came in this month, Razarudin told a news conference.

He did not say who the reports came from.

The Selangor Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAIS) said it had asked police to hand over teaching materials seized during raids in Selangor and Negeri Sembilanto states to determine whether any offences had been committed under Islamic law, which is enforced alongside secular laws in the country’s dual-track legal system.

GISB said in a statement: “It is not our policy to do things that are contrary to Islam and the laws.”

Preliminary police investigations have revealed that the affected children are sons and daughters of Malaysian employees of GISB, a company that calls itself an “Islamic” company and operates in sectors ranging from supermarkets to laundromats.

Razarudin said the children were sent to the homes shortly after birth and were subjected to multiple forms of abuse. They were allegedly sexually abused by adult guardians and later taught to sexually abuse other children.

“Those who were sick were not allowed to seek medical attention until their condition became critical,” he said. Some young children were also burned with a hot spoon when they made mistakes, and caretakers had touched the children’s bodies as if to perform medical checks, he said.

He said the children would be temporarily housed at a police training centre in the capital Kuala Lumpur and would undergo a health check there.

Police believe GISB, which operates in several countries including Indonesia, Singapore, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and France, is exploiting children and using religious sentiments to collect donations, Razarudin said.

‘Shocked and stunned’

The case is being investigated under child sex crimes and human trafficking legislation.

Two of the buildings searched were registered with the state government as Islamic schools, JAIS said in a statement on Thursday.

The department had monitored the schools as recently as July but found no violations. It said it would investigate further and take appropriate action if violations were found.

A GISB spokesperson said Thursday that the group will cooperate with authorities.

GISB has been linked to the now-defunct Al-Arqam religious sect in Malaysia, which was banned by the government in 1994. On its website, the company says its goal is to “develop the Islamic way of life.”

Robert Gass, a representative in Malaysia for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said on Thursday that the organisation was “deeply shocked and appalled” by the alleged abuse and called for long-term professional medical and psychosocial support for the children.