By Le Figaro with AFP
Published
3 hours ago,
Updated 2 hours ago
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Malaysian police are investigating hundreds of cases of children being horrifically abused in foster homes, targeting a major Islamic organisation with links to a banned sect.
On Wednesday, investigators raided 20 homes in two Malaysian states and arrested 171 people. They rescued 402 minors who had been victims of serious physical and sexual assault.
The investigators “work in view” new searches and arrests in this case which has deeply shocked the country, said the inspector general of police Razarudin Husain at a press conference on Friday.
The role of a large Islamic organization
The investigations are focusing on the Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB) group, which has links to the banned Islamic sect Al-Arqam, and is suspected by police of running the homes – something it denies.
The children, aged between one and 17, are being temporarily housed at a police training centre in Kuala Lumpur where they are being examined one by one by doctors.
Evidence of sexual violence
These examinations have so far shown that at least 13 of them were victims of sexual violence, Razarudin said. He said some of the children were burned with hot spoons and others were sick and denied medical care until their condition became critical. “The caregivers also touched the children’s bodies, pretending to do a medical examination.”he detailed.
“These children have experienced unimaginable horrors and will need long-term medical and psychological help.”commented on Thursday Robert Gass, representative in Malaysia of UNICEF, the UN agency responsible for defending children’s rights. “We believe that the fathers of all 402 children are members of GISB”Mr Razarudin told AFP, adding that “DNA tests are necessary”.
GISB has long been in the crosshairs of Malaysian civil and Islamic authorities for its links to the Al-Arqam sect, which was dissolved in 1994 by authorities who accused it of dispensing a doctrine “deviant” and represent a threat to public order.
