Police rescue 402 minors from nursing homes after allegations of abuse

Malaysian police have rescued 402 children and teenagers who were allegedly physically and sexually abused in 20 care homes.

Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual and physical violence.

The victims, aged between one and 17, were abused in various ways and some were allegedly forced to perform sexual acts on other children, Police Inspector General Razarudin Husain said at a press conference.

Police have arrested 171 suspects, including religious teachers and janitors.

The nursing homes are allegedly linked to a well-known Islamic conglomerate, which denies any wrongdoing in a statement.

The police raids on 20 social homes in the states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan on Wednesday followed reports earlier this month of child exploitation, sexual harassment and abuse at another facility in the state of Negeri Sembilan.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Insp Razarudin told reporters that some of the suspects – aged between 17 and 64 – allegedly touched the children, claiming it was part of religious treatment. Some children were also reportedly taught to perform similar sexual acts on other children in the home.

Children are also being “punished with heated metal objects” and sick people are not allowed to seek medical help until their condition becomes critical, he added.

The children would be temporarily housed in a police center in the capital Kuala Lumpur and undergo a health check, Insp. Razarudin said.

Initial investigations revealed that many children were placed in these homes by their parents so that they could receive a religious education, the state news agency Bernama reported.

The raids came days after the Islamic Global Ikhwan Group (GISB) launched an investigation into child exploitation. Police have since confirmed that the two cases are linked.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said in a New Straits Times report that initial investigations had shown that the GISB's modus operandi was to set up social homes to collect donations.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday, the group denied the allegations.

“The company will not compromise on any activity that violates the law, especially with regard to the exploitation of children,” it said.

GISB has hundreds of companies in 20 countries operating in a wide range of industries, from hospitality to food and education.

The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has called for stricter regulations for social homes.

“The problem is that these places are not properly regulated or supervised,” Suhakam’s child affairs officer Farah Nini Dusuki told online news site Free Malaysia Today.

“We have a serious problem with surveillance and control, which is why the population needs to be more vigilant,” she said.