KUALA LUMPUR: Only 80 of the 560 children rescued from charitable homes linked to GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB) remain at institutions under the Social Welfare Department, says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
The Woman, Family and Community Development Minister said while this was a good development, the ministry urges the rightful parents of the remaining children to claim them.
“Some have expressed their interest to claim their children but for reasons we do not know, did not do so,” she told reporters after launching the Social Services e-Learning System and Social Institute of Malaysia’s official portal here on Thursday (Jan 23).
“The children should be reunited with their families,” she said.
Of the 80 remaining children, Nancy said six had been placed at the department’s institutions for three years in compliance with court orders.
“74 are meanwhile staying at the department’s institutions for an interim period,” she said.
As of Wednesday (Jan 22), Nancy said 475 have already been returned to their families while five have been placed with suitable guardians.
In September last year, raids were carried out on care homes linked to Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB).
It was reported that the children were subjected to horrific abuse, including being sodomised and forced to do the same to others at the care homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
Several people linked with GISB, including its top brass have already been charged in court.
The Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia (MKI) has also since declared that the teachings, beliefs, and ideology of GISB are deviant and stray from Islamic teachings.
