PUTRAJAYA: Children rescued from homes run by Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB) can be placed in the care of the Social Welfare Department (JKM) until they turn 18 years of age.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the children were currently under the department’s two-month care.
However, in order to protect them until they turn 18, the department will have to obtain a court order extending their two-month pre-trial detention or three-year permanent detention, in accordance with Art. 30 of the Children’s Act 2001 in connection with Art. 25 section 2 letter a) the Act.
“If the matter is resolved, we will have to release them after two months. However, if for certain reasons, usually legal ones, we need to stop them, we will apply for an extension by court order,” she said.
Since Monday, 560 children – 283 boys and 277 girls – have been placed in care facilities, after His Majesty’s Majesty obtained a court decision on temporary arrest.
Under the Children’s Act, if a social worker or police officer considers that a child needs care and protection and/or medical assistance, the court has the power to make a care order.
Once a child turns 18, they will no longer be covered by the Children’s Act.
Nancy also said that people were seen lurking near the safe houses where the rescued children were staying.
“We don’t know whether these people are parents and what kind of threat they pose,” she said, adding that guards are stationed in the hideouts.
She said visits from parents are not yet allowed because the ministry needs to ensure the safety of children in safe houses.
“If we allow visits, the floodgates will open for people who are not parents to come too,” she told reporters at a ministerial event on improving state aid for social care.
Nancy also responded to allegations by Masjid Tanah MP Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin in the Dewan Rakyat that some of the detained children were not from GISB-affiliated centers but from unrelated rented houses, boarding schools and tahfiz.
“I had already replied (the same day), but she was not in the Dewan Rakyat then. Most of these claims come from social media,” she added.
Nancy stated that HM dealt exclusively with children, while police operated in other locations suspected of having links to GISB.
Appealing to the public not to believe what they see on social media, she stressed that the ministry would not unnecessarily separate children from their parents.
She cited a case in which a child was immediately returned to a tenant unrelated to GISB.
“When a child is in the care of the ministry, it is by court order and we cannot release him according to our will, we have to have a court order.
“We want to reunite parents with their children. Many children are sick, and caring for them is also a challenge for us,” she said.
Nancy added that if the parents’ identity is established, the ministry will return the child, but in accordance with the law.
However, there were cases where the child lived in one place and the people claiming to be parents lived in another.
“Some children also don’t know who their parents are. That’s why we can’t do it haphazardly,” she added.
Due to the discrepancy in the number of people in custody, Nancy explained that there were 560 children, two of whom were accompanied by their mothers.
“This is proof that we do not want to separate mother and child,” she said.
Nancy also said reforms have been introduced to improve the state welfare system for 11 states.
According to her, strategic collaboration between the federal and state governments has led to the integration of two systems – eBantuanJKM and iSPEKS (state government accrual accounting system).
“Thanks to the new system, everything will work more efficiently. There were cases last year where some people did not receive assistance,” she said, adding that Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan were not yet included in the new system.