Two Indian sisters are fighting an order to be raped and publicly humiliated in their local town in India, as punishment for their brother eloping with a married woman.
According to media reports, the khap panchayats, or the unelected council of the village’s senior men, ordered for the two girls to be raped in Baghpat village, near the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The girls are just 15 and 23-years old.
The council has ordered the girls to then walk around the town naked with blackened faces to restore their family’s dignity following their brother’s decision to have an affair with a married woman.
Since news of the brutal punishment surfaced, Amnesty International has started an online petition to stop the unelected men’s cruel punishment.
Writing on their website, Amnesty said:
‘Unelected village councils such as this are widespread in parts of India. More often than not they are made up of older men from dominant castes, who prescribe rules for social behaviour and interaction in villages.
‘The supreme court of India has described them as ‘kangaroo courts’ and branded their decrees illegal, yet in some states they continue to operate – and their punishments are carried out.’
23-year old Meenakshi reportedly had to approach India’s Supreme Court on behalf of herself and her sister. She claimed that her family had to move away from the village because of the ruling, leaving them homeless.
The young woman has since said that despite bringing their alarming concerns to police, authorities refused to protect the family and actively harassed them.
