THE United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has expressed shock over revelations of physical and sexual abuse of children in welfare homes in Malaysia.

Unicef representative in Malaysia, Robert Gass said children will remain at risk of violence and abuse as long as they stay in unregulated institutional care.

“These children have endured unimaginable horrors and will need long-term professional medical and psychosocial support. The harm caused is severe and often leads to lifelong consequences,” Gass said in a statement.

He said children in institutional care require support from qualified social workers who can monitor welfare homes. 

Unicef has pledged to assist the government in protecting children deprived of parental care and preventing unnecessary separation from families.

On Wednesday, police arrested 171 people in raids on welfare homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan, believed to be linked to Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB).

Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said some of the rescued children had allegedly been sodomised and taught to sexually assault others. He said children as young as five were subjected to physical abuse.

The authorities believe the homes were run by an Islamic business organisation connected to a banned sect. GISB has ties to Al-Arqam, an Islamic sect that was outlawed by the government in 1994.

In response, GISB denied any involvement with the homes. “It is not our policy to do things that go against Islam and the law,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to its website, GISB runs supermarkets and restaurants in several countries including Indonesia, France and the United Kingdom.

Police are investigating the case under the Child Act 2001, Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, and the Penal Code. 

Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has called on the National Security Council (NSC) to set up a panel to “study and formulate an integrated strategy to deal with the recurrence of such crimes in all institutions involving children, especially in daycare centres”.

Suhakam children’s commissioner Farah Nini Dusuki also called for an inquiry a thorough investigation into the allegations.

She said the findings would guide meaningful reforms of any failing institutions or systems, ultimately laying the groundwork for comprehensive child protection – September 13, 2024.