Police officials in Malaysia said this week that over 400 children were rescued from alleged sexual abuse situations.
On Wednesday, Malaysian authorities announced the arrest of 171 suspects and the rescue of 402 children following a raid on several welfare homes connected to an Islamic business group. The country’s national police chief said that the rescued children were being sexually abused and exploited.
Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain reported that authorities carried out the raids following investigations into claims of child abandonment, deviant teachings and sexual assault at facilities operated by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings.
The children rescued included 201 boys and 201 girls, with ages ranging from 1 to 17 years old. Two of the homes raided were located in the Southern Negeri Sembilan state, while 18 others were located in the central Selangor state.
The 171 suspects included 105 women and 66 men, Husain said, noting that some were teachers and caretakers. At a televised press conference, Husain revealed that children at the facilities were sexually abused by caretakers and coerced into abusing one another.
“Those who were sick were not allowed to seek medical attention until their condition became critical,” Husain said.
According to Husain, some of the children rescued had been disciplined and burnt with a hot metal spoon. He also said hat the children were touched by the caretakers, who pretended to do medical checks.
Police suspect that Global Ikhwan exploited the children and leveraged religious sentiments to solicit donations, Husain said.
He added that investigations revealed the children at the welfare homes were placed there as infants by members of the Global Ikhwan group. He said the children would undergo medical evaluations as part of the ongoing inquiry.
Global Ikhwan, according to its website, was established by Ashaari Mohamad, the former leader of the Islamic sect Al-Arqam, which the government banned in 1994 after declaring it heretical. The group has undergone multiple rebranding efforts since Ashaari’s death in 2010, but it has recently attracted attention from Islamic authorities over allegations that it continues to promote the deviant teachings of the banned Al-Arqam sect.
However, in a statement this week, the group denied the allegations that they exploited children but did not directly respond to the allegations of sexual abuse.
“The company will not compromise with any activity that goes against the law, particularly regarding the exploitation of children as workers,” the Global Ikhwan statement said.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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