Dormitories at religious schools should be banned, says a child protection activist, pointing to a surge in abuse and grooming cases involving students in residential Islamic institutions.
Nazir Ariff, founder of the Children’s Protection Society, said hostels that lack proper oversight are unsafe, with abusers often being teachers or other adults known to the children. “If you can’t supervise them properly, shut them down. These are children. They’re not safe in these asrama,” he told FMT.
Faith-based education should be offered through structured day classes instead of fully residential religious schools, allowing children to return home each day, he said.
“Religious instruction can still be provided, but let the children go home. Too many are sent to these schools because they’re free, not because they’re safe,” he said.
His comments come amid a string of abuse cases involving religious school wardens.
In Negeri Sembilan, a 38-year-old warden at a Quranic centre admitted sodomising and molesting seven boys aged between nine and 12. He was sentenced to six years in prison and four strokes of the cane.
In Selangor, four students from Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyyah, aged 13 and 14, were found with injuries consistent with abuse and sexual assault. They had run away and were later found wandering in a nearby village.
The Selangor Islamic religious department has since warned that any religious school found to be involved in such offences could be shut down.
Nazir said: “These are not isolated incidents. It’s happening in multiple states. But the silence from many quarters is deafening, especially when religion is involved.”
He added that many children still don’t report abuse due to fear, shame, or a lack of trust in the system. The recent increase in reported cases did not necessarily indicate a rise in abuse, but a growing public willingness to speak out.
“People feel more comfortable reporting abuse now. They trust the police and welfare officers will act. That’s why more cases are coming to light—not because abuse has suddenly worsened,” he said.
Nazir also warned that cultural norms like salam (handshakes) can be misused. “A simple salam can become a grooming tool. We must teach children that it’s okay to say no if they feel uncomfortable, even to an elder,” he said.
He called for the reintroduction of age-appropriate sex education, taught under a neutral subject name, to help children understand safe and unsafe touch, consent, and personal boundaries.
“Let’s not argue over terminology. Let’s focus on teaching children what’s wrong and giving them the tools to speak up,” he said.
Police recorded 18,326 cases of child sexual crimes between 2018 and November 2023, of which 89% involved rape, physical sexual assault, or incest.
However, only about 70% of reported child sexual abuse cases resulted in prosecution; most cases being often hampered by a lack of evidence or uncooperative victims.
Malaysia currently ranks 23rd out of 60 in the Out of the Shadows Index, which measures how effectively countries prevent and respond to child sexual abuse in law and practice.
