OVER 670,000 PEOPLE have signed an online petition against a 15-year-old girl, who was raped repeatedly by her stepfather, receive 100 lashes for having pre-marital sex with another man.

The girl was sentenced to the public whipping after it was revealed she was having consensual sex with another man while police were investigating rape allegations by her stepfather. The child’s stepfather is also accused of murdering a baby born to her as a result of the rape. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

The petition was set up by Avaaz.org a website that describes themselves as one that ”empowers millions of people from all walks of life to take action on pressing global, regional and national issues”.
Avaaz.org is asking people to hit the “Maldives government where it hurts – the tourism industry. Let’s build a million-strong petition… then threaten the islands’ reputation through hard-hitting ads in travel magazines and online until he steps in to save her and abolish this outrageous law.”

President Mohammed Waheed Hassan had expressed shock and asked the state attorney general to appeal the conviction amid an international outcry and condemnation from rights groups such as Amnesty International.

Premarital sex is illegal in the popular honeymoon destination.

Read: Indian parliament to debate bill allowing death penalty for rapists >