By Karen Diep
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
MALE, Maldives – Yesterday, a Maldivian court sentenced a 15-year-old rape victim to receive 100 lashes for engaging in premarital sex.
Last year, the Maldivian police examined allegations against the victim’s stepfather for raping and killing their baby. Authorities subsequently discovered the dead baby buried on the island of Feydhoo in Shavivani Atoll. If the victim’s stepfather, is convicted, he may face 25 years in prison. Meanwhile, the victim’s mother is also facing charges for failure to report the incident to the Maldivian police.
After further investigation, the victim admitted to having a sexually consensual relationship with another man.
Maldives’s legal system has attributes of both Islamic and English common law. Accordingly, in Maldives, sex outside marriage is illegal.
According to BBC News, a spokesperson for the juvenile court, Zaima Nasheed, stated that the court ordered the victim to remain at a children’s home under house arrest for the next eight months. Furthermore, the victim will not receive her punishment until she reaches the age of 18 or consents to an earlier time.
The 15-year-old victim is not the first to face this particular punishment. In September of last year, a Maldivian court ordered the public flogging of a 16-year-old girl for premarital sex.
Amnesty International censured the punishment as “cruel, degrading and inhumane.” “We are very surprised that the government is not doing anything to stop this punishment – to remove it altogether from the statute books,” stated Ahmed Faiz, a researcher with Amnesty.
“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,” continued Mr. Faiz.
Furthermore, Human Rights Watch has chastised the punishment and stated that this in reality was a sex crime against the victim. In addition, the United Nations has continually asked Maldivian authorities to cease using the “barbaric practice” of flogging women.
However,there is hope for the 15-year-old victim. The Maldivian government disagrees with the court’s sentence. “The President has asked the Attorney-General to appeal against the lower court decision,” stated spokesman Abbas Adil Riza to AFP. “The girl will also be provided with the necessary legal counsel and we hope the case will be concluded in about a month,” continued Mr. Riza.
For further information, please see:
The Globe and Mail – Maldives government to appeal flogging of rape victim, 15, for premarital sex – 28 February 2013
BBC News – Maldives girl to get 100 lashes for pre-marital sex – 26 February 2013
Fox News – Alleged Maldives rape victim, 15, to get 100 lashes for having premarital sex – 27 February 2013
