SHAH ALAM: A welfare organisation today urged the federal government to set up a special body to control illegal orphanages in the country.
Rumah Penyayang Ulin Nuha (RPUN) believed that the time had come for such a move to prevent orphans from being abused by unscrupulous parties for begging activities.
Its chairman Nazilah Idris said there had been many cases where orphans including young children and senior citizens being used by so-called welfare homes to beg or sell medicines and food, among others, to get money for them.
"The government should take a serious look into this problem as without preventive measures the future of orphans in these llegal homes, their welfare and education would be affected.
"We have received many complaints about how orphans and senior citizens are abused by irresponsible parties, and are forced to beg and sell products by those who are supposed to care for them.
"This is akin to human trafficking of unfortunate people," she said when met during a ceremony at RPUN facility in Jalan Johan Setia here today,
Nazilah, who took over RPUN recently after its residents were kicked out by previous caretakers, said failure to register welfare organisations would also affect children, especially when they do not receive proper education.
The ceremony saw SPANCO Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Hamzah Mohd Salleh launching RPUN Foster Care Programme and Orphans Development Fund.
Nazilah, who is also the chairman of Selangor Complaints Bureau, said RPUN was thankful to the private company for its willingness to fund the welfare home for five years with total financial assistance of about RM500,000.
Meanwhile, Hamzah said their assistance to RPUN was a part of the company's corporate social responsibility for orphans there.
He said the company's 22 staff also participates in repair and decoration works at RPUN to provide better living conditions and conducive environment to the orphans.