According to court officials, a 15-year-old Maldivian rape victim has been sentenced to 100 lashes and eight months’ house arrest for engaging in premarital sex.
The charges against the girl were brought against her last year after she reported that her stepfather had raped her and killed their baby. However, prosecutors said her conviction is irrelevant to the rape case.
Ahmed Faiz, a researcher with Amnesty International, said flogging was “cruel, degrading and inhumane” and urged the authorities to abolish it. He found it surprising that the government isn’t doing anything to stop this punishment and to remove it altogether from the statute books.
“This is not the only case. It is happening frequently – only last month there was another girl who was sexually abused and sentenced to lashes.
Spokesperson for the juvenile court, Zaima Nasheed, said the girl was ordered to remain under house arrest at a children’s home for eight months. She defended the punishment, saying the girl had willingly committed an act outside the law. (Source)
