KAJANG: The Welfare Department (JKM) has received 98 applications from parents, mainly mothers, to retrieve some 200 children related to the Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) investigation as of Thursday (Oct 17), says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
The Women, Family and Community Development Minister said these children, who have documentation, are currently housed at JKM shelters.
“These children are currently in the process of being brought to court in order for them to be released if there are no issues raised.
“I am also hoping the process can be expedited because we don’t want to keep other people’s children and we understand the feelings of their mothers. The mothers are able to contact their children but perhaps some have technical issues in communicating,” she told reporters on Thursday.
Nancy met with reporters after launching the first Zero Tolerance Against Violence Programme @KPWKM Anti-Sexual Harassment Advocacy in 2024, held at the Dewan Seri Sarjana, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten).
The programme is part of the ministry’s efforts to intensify awareness on sexual harassment among students throughout the country.
Additionally, Nancy said the applications from mothers to retrieve their children are increasing, as such the numbers are changing.
She said they have a duty to ensure and verify whether the child belongs to the parents before handing them back.
“We have to verify whether the child belongs to the parents and if so, we also don’t want to hold them back.
“Parents and the general public need to understand this instead of being emotional and accusing the government as we are doing the best.
“At the moment, the Magistrate's Court has given JKM a temporary custody court order for two months. So those who have filed an application will still have to go through the court,” she said.
On Wednesday (Oct 16), Nancy said that visitations between parents and children related to the GISB probe are not allowed yet.
The ministry needs to ensure that the safehouses where the children are kept are secured from possible threats, she added
She pointed out that if visitation was allowed, it will open the floodgates, and those who are not parents of these children will also come
As such, she warned that there have also been sightings of people lurking near these premises.
This was because they don’t know if these people are parents or not and what threat they pose, she said, adding that guards are stationed for protection.
