GISB: Parents need to present a valid document of relationship with the child – Nancy
KUCHING: The Department of Social Welfare (JKM) is ready to hand over children linked to GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB) to their respective parents if the guardians present to the court documents for verification, such as birth certificates and identity cards.
Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said some of the rescued children were found to have no identity cards and claimed to have never met their parents or family.
“It is based on the investigation of the authorities who personally asked the children involved; that is why it is difficult for us to simply hand over to the party who claims to be the parents of these children; if they are the legal guardians, it will make it easier for us to resolve it.
“There is a lawyer stating that they represent the family, which is the child’s mother, so we hope this mother can come and prove that she is the child’s biological mother because anyone can confess (the child’s mother)… it is for the children’s safety this too,” he told reporters after the ‘Mind Games: Kamek The Best’ program here today.
He insisted that his party had no intention of separating the children from their parents and that this step was in accordance with the law.
Nancy said that of the 660 children rescued in Op Global, 559 of them got a court order to get care and protection under JKM from October to December this year.
“The application for the extension of the new order will be made while a long-term solution is decided, and JKM will bring this matter up for discussion at the coordination meeting managed by the National Security Council.
“Long-term solutions that will be considered include returning children who do not need protection, preservation, and rehabilitation to their parents or Orang Yang Layak dan Susuai (OYLS) as per the provisions of the law,” he said.
He said psychological tests on the 454 children investigated so far found that 69 of them, or 16.2 percent, suffered from moderate delirium, while another 23 (5.5 percent) suffered from severe delirium.
In addition, the minister informed that two of them have a Disabled Persons (OKU) card while the other 19 show symptoms of OKU.
“Almost 83 percent have attended school, while 9.5 percent said they have never attended school and the rest have no information,” he said, adding that children between the ages of seven and 15 recorded the highest number of 398 people.
He said JKM is also coordinating contributions from private parties, including corporate companies and foundations, that express their desire to contribute to the needs of the children.
Police launched Op Global early last September and have raided charity houses across the peninsula linked to GISBH because they are suspected of being involved in child and religious exploitation activities.
A total of 359 GISBH followers were also arrested in the operation, including the company’s top management.
Perlis, Selangor, and Pahang declared GISBH’s practices and beliefs linked to child exploitation activities and alleged doctrines of religious fanaticism as deviant and misguided.
— BERNAMA