Malaysian police rescue 400 children suspected to be sexually abused at care homes

Victims aged between one and 17 were sexually abused and taught to do the same to each other at the facilities, police say

Malaysian authorities rescued more than 400 children who were suspected of being sexually abused at charity homes allegedly run by an Islamic business organisation, the country’s top police official said.

Police arrested around 171 Islamic teachers and caretakers during raids at 20 care homes across two Malaysian states, inspector-general of police, Razarudin Husain, said.

Police said the charity homes in western Malaysia’s Selangor and Negri Sembilan areas were run by Islamic business organisations allegedly with links to a banned religious sect, Malaysia-based Al-Arqam.

According to police, children between the ages of one and 17 have been rescued. There were 201 and 201 girls.

The raids were conducted following reports filed this month of alleged neglect, abuse, sexual harassment and molestation of children, Mr Razarudin told a press conference on Wednesday. He did not say who wrote the reports.

Police said the homes were run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB), a business group that operates supermarkets and laundromats in multiple countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, Australia and Thailand.

Mr Razarudin said preliminary police investigations found that the rescued minors were children of Malaysian GISB employees, who were sent to the homes shortly after they were born, before being subjected to multiple forms of abuse.

The victims were allegedly sodomised by adult guardians and later taught to sodomise other children at the homes, he said.

“They were punished using heated metal objects when the victims commit mistakes and the suspects touched the victim’s body parts by claiming it was part of the religious medical treatment,” he added.

GISB denied the sexual abuse allegations and said it did not manage the charity homes.

“It is not in our policy to plan and carry out actions that are against Islamic and national laws," the company said, adding that it would file a police report and demand an investigation.

GISB is believed to be linked to the now-defunct Al-Arqam religious sect, which was outlawed by the government in 1994. GISB has acknowledged the link but now describes itself as an Islamic conglomerate based on Muslim practices.

According to the website, the business was founded by Ashaari Mohamad, who led the Islamic sect Al Arqam. The group underwent a series of rebranding since Mohamad died in 2010.

The firm previously hit the headlines for being linked to the controversial Obedient Wives’ Club, a group that urged wives to avoid marital problems by fulfilling their husbands’ sexual desires “like prostitutes”.

"The children and religious sentiments were also used to gain public sympathy and raise funds for the organisation," Mr Razarudin said. "What we have seen is the indoctrination of children using religious tools in a harmful way."

The rescued minors were sent for health checkups and documentation, Mr Razarudin said.

The case was being investigated under laws covering sexual offences against children and human trafficking.

According to the Statistics Department, child sexual crimes have marked a 9.5 per cent increase from 2021 to 2022. It said there were 1,621 reported cases, from 1,481 cases in 2021 with rape cases marking the highest increase.