Maldives rape victim sentenced to100 lashes for premarital sex

Originally published in Christian Post

A rape victim has been sentenced to 100 lashes and put on eight months house arrest in the Maldives, sparking international outrage.

The 15 year old rape victim was sentenced to the brutal punishment by an Islamic court for having premarital sex, after admitting to having consensual sex with a man in an incident unrelated to the rape.

She has been told that she can have the sentence carried out immediately or when she turns 18.

Sex outside of marriage is illegal under Islamic law in the Maldives, and is considered a serious offense.

Authorities in the country were in fact investigating allegations that the teenager had been raped by her stepfather when they found evidence that she had engaged in premarital sex with another man. Now both the stepfather and the girl are facing punishment.

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The girl allegedly became pregnant through the rape incident, and the stepfather is facing up to 25 years in prison for rape and for allegedly killing the baby conceived from the incident.

The Maldives’ government had urged the courts to act with leniency towards the girl, saying that she had been traumatized by the rape and resulting murder of her baby. However, the court has still handed down the brutal 100 lashes punishment.

The United Nations and Amnesty International have immediately moved to condemn the girl’s sentence, although it is highly unlikely to have any influence on the decision now.

As yet it has not been made clear whether the girl’s partner will also be charged with any offense for having premarital sex with her. However, last year in another incident a 16 year old was sentenced to a public flogging after confessing to premarital sex. In that case the partner was also sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to Sky News.

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The Maldives is a strictly Islamic nation, which offers no religious freedom; the practice of any religion other than Islam is prohibited by the country’s laws.