G25 questions delays in rescuing children and closing nursing homes

One of the charity houses, said to have ties to Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings, was raided by police. (Photo PDRM)

PETALING JAYA: The G25 group of senior retired civil servants has questioned the delay in rescuing children, some of whom were allegedly sexually abused, from nursing homes linked by authorities to a company.

In a statement, G25 cited a news report quoting the director-general of the Ministry of Islamic Development (Jakim), Hakimah Yusoff, as saying that measures had been taken against Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH) in February 2019.

Hakimah had said that Jakim had held closed meetings with GISBH, involving the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs of Malaysia (MKI), the Attorney-General’s Chambers and a panel of Jakim experts.

And in July 2022, a special meeting was held with national security agencies, including the police, Hakimah is reported to have said.

“So we have to ask ourselves: if the police were involved earlier, why weren’t the GISBH homes closed and the children removed earlier?

“We are shocked that the issues surrounding GISBH have been brought to the attention of authorities for over five years, with no attempt made to close them down while investigations are carried out.”

The G25 said the delay in taking action raises serious questions about the systemic failings in the country’s enforcement agencies that allowed such abuses to continue.

The delay in taking action also highlighted the disturbing delay in implementation and administration of justice in our country, especially with regard to the administration of justice in the area of ​​religion.

The G25 then reiterated its call to the government to investigate the Islamic government in our country more thoroughly.

Staying executions and action solely on the grounds of religious sensitivities left room for neglect at the expense of innocent people, the report said.

“The impact of these incidents on the children affected is profound and long-lasting,” the report said, adding that the trauma experienced by victims can severely affect them emotionally and psychologically and compromise their ability to lead fulfilling lives.

On September 11, police rescued 402 children from 18 nursing homes in Selangor and two in Negeri Sembilan, which authorities linked to GISBH.

According to police, investigations have revealed that at least 13 children have been victims of sodomy or taught to sexually assault others.

Since then, another 155 people have been arrested and 102 men and 84 women have been rescued from properties linked to GISBH.

GISBH denied it ran the care homes that were raided and rejected claims that children in its care were sodomised or forced to sexually assault others. However, GISBH CEO Nasiruddin Ali has since admitted that there have been “one or two” cases of sodomy within the organisation in the past.

On Saturday, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, expressed disappointment that the religious authorities had not taken action earlier against the nursing homes run by GISBH that were operating in Selangor without registration.