KUALA LUMPUR: Former women, family and community development minister Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has called for the establishment of a dedicated focus team to lead and monitor the operations of welfare homes.
The Hawa Malaysia president urged the police to raid all suspicious operation centres.
This was following a major operation, codenamed Op Global, during which police raided 20 welfare homes and rescued 402 minors from alleged exploitation in two states.
She urged the authorities to raid all suspicious operation centres, leaving no room for such incidents to recur.
"May the children who have fallen victim receive the mental and physical support they need to recover and lead a better quality of life.
"Hawa Malaysia asks, where did it all go wrong?
"What was the flaw? Who turned a blind eye?
"When did the ambiguity begin that allowed this child abuse to occur right before our eyes?" she said in a statement.
She said it was time for the government to establish a dedicated focus team to lead and monitor the operations of charitable homes hiding behind the veil of welfare and religion.
She said capable stakeholders should be roped in to make the team effective and responsive.
She said the team should have the authority to carry out their duties swiftly.
"The future of our children is the strongest justification for the government to allocate more resources and time to create this authoritative focus team.
"We cannot allow such cruel and heinous acts to happen again," she said.
She also expressed gratitude towards the police and the Welfare Department for carrying out the operation.
Earlier today, it was revealed that the 402 children rescued during a police raid on 20 welfare homes yesterday are believed to be the children of members of GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said initial investigations following the crackdown on these homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan on Wednesday suggest that the children are fathered by GISB members.
It was reported that police investigations into some of the welfare homes raided earlier have led to claims of sodomy and abuse against children.
Based on intelligence gathered, police found that some victims were sodomised by their caregivers.
Police also received information that they were also taught the act of sodomy and forced to sodomise other children in the home.
The company denied the allegations and said the raided homes were not under its management.