KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar urged the government to consider a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the alleged child exploitation associated with charity homes operated by Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holding (GISB).
Its president Mohamad Ezri Abdul Wahab said a holistic approach is essential to prevent similar incidents in the future.
"While we commend the intervention by authorities, we must acknowledge this might just be the tip of the iceberg and the fact that these homes have been operating for years without proper authority's supervision and monitoring raises concerns about the existing regulatory framework.
"We, the Malaysian Bar, call on all regulatory bodies, not just the police and Social Welfare Department, to enforce stricter compliance measures to ensure these homes are closely monitored and properly regulated all the time,"Mohamad Ezri said.
He said through the proposed RCI, improvements can also be made to improve any existing weaknesses in the present system.
"These homes, which are supposed to provide care and protection, have unfortunately turned into places of horrific abuse. What has occurred is utterly unacceptable in any society that prioritises the safety and well-being of its children.
"We urge the government to consider the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, as suggested by Suhakam's Dr Farah Nini Dusuki through a statement, to comprehensively investigate the weaknesses that allowed this abuse to persist for years."
He said the findings of the RCI could probably bring more meaningful reforms in child protection policies.
He added that unregulated charitable homes pose significant risks to vulnerable groups, especially children, thus public awareness and participation are crucial to report any suspicious activities.
"We must adopt a holistic approach to prevent similar cases from happening in future and this means not only actions against those responsible but also long term reforms to the system that oversees these charitable homes."
On Sept 11, police said it rescued 402 minors from alleged exploitation in a major operation across two states , codenamed Op Global.
The victims, aged between one and 17, were allegedly exploited at 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.