13-year-old girl sent to work at Malaysian massage centre ends up being raped, bitten and abused

The Star / ANN via AsiaOne
Wednesday, Dec 27, 2017

Born to a poor family of eight siblings, a 13-year-old girl was forced to work for an ayurvedic massage centre where she was raped, bitten and abused.

Instead of going to school like other children her age, the girl was left in the hands of two caretakers of the centre in Semenyih by her parents in May.

Besides claiming she was raped by a male client, the girl was also bitten, punched and burned by her caretakers for months before she managed to escape.

Her break came when she was sent to a client’s house in Taman Cheras Permata last week to give a massage.

"The client alerted an activist, who then lodged a police report on Thursday,” said Kajang OCPD Asst Comm Ahmad Dzaffir Mohd Yussof yesterday.

The girl was examined at Hospital Selayang and her body was found to be covered in bruises and scald marks. The two caretakers, including a woman, aged 41 and 54, have been arrested.

"They admitted to hitting the girl with a red hot ladle, choking, punching, biting her ear and throwing her,” ACP Ahmad Dzaffir said.

The girl, who is the second child, was left at the centre because her parents were unable to support her.

"They can’t send her to school and had hoped that she would be able to learn the trade and support herself.

"The girl cried a lot. This angered the caretakers and they abused her," he said.

ACP Ahmad Dzaffir said the girl claimed that she was raped when she was first sent to the centre.

“The girl also claimed that she was sent to another massage centre in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, where she was forced to have sex with a male client,” he said, adding that Brickfields police are investigating the claim.

Police have notified the girl’s parents. The two caretakers are being investigated under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001 for child abuse.

The 54-year-old owner of the centre, meanwhile, is currently being treated for heart complications at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.