Malaysian authorities reported on Wednesday that they have rescued hundreds of children from care homes where they were allegedly subjected to physical and sexual abuse. The police also stated that numerous individuals have been arrested in extensive raids, as reported by AFP.
Initial investigations showed that the victims were sexually abused by their caretakers and were coerced into abusing other children, Police Inspector-General Razarudin Husain stated at a news conference in Pahang state.
Over 170 people have been arrested, including Islamic teachers and caretakers from the homes operated by Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB), according to police.
Police Inspector-General Razarudin Husain reported that on Wednesday, 402 children aged between one and 17 were rescued from 20 charity homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
The morning raids, which involved nearly 1,000 personnel from police and other agencies, led to 171 arrests. Among those arrested were Islamic religious teachers and caretakers from the welfare homes.
Razarudin further said that 201 boys and 201 girls, aged between one and 17, were taken to the Police Training Academy for health screenings. Over 170 adults, including both men and women, as well as imams and dorm wardens responsible for the children’s care, have been arrested in connection with the investigation.
The victims were allegedly sodomised by adult guardians and later taught to sodomise other children at their homes.
The raids came after a week-long investigation into Global Ikhwan Services & Business Holdings (GISBH), an Islamic business group running the shelters. Members of GISBH are known to have been associated with the Al-Arqam sect, which was declared deviant by Malaysian religious authorities in 1994.
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In a statement, GISB refuted social media claims that it had exploited children as workers. The company asserted that it does not participate in illegal activities and pledged to cooperate with authorities to address the issue.