The images of children being locked up in cages at a welfare home in Perak recently went incredibly viral.

A welfare home in Batu Gajah, Perak, was put into the spotlight for their perceived ill treatment of the residents there.

Of the 47 residents, 10 were mentally challenged. And it was these 10 that were made to sleep in the "special cubicles" at night.

According to Malaysian news outlet The Star, the chairman of the home, Mr Sivalingam, revealed that the cages were actually a step up from the methods that had been used to restrain the children back in 2005, before he had taken over the home.

The children with severe mental conditions used to be tied up to prevent them from engaging in self harm, or harming other residents.

Some netizens were still unconvinced, with many finding the conditions empirically disgusting.

However, that skepticism was not shared by the welfare officer in charge of the district.

The district's welfare officer confirmed that the home was registered under the welfare division, and concurred with the home's chairman that some of the occupants needed to be locked up for their own safety.

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Top image screenshot from The Star Online Youtube. H/T The Star.

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