India: Father, uncle, brother repeatedly rape teenage girl over two years

A 16-year-old girl in the West Bengal state in eastern India was allegedly repeatedly raped by her father, uncle and brother over the course of two years, police officials have confirmed.

The girl revealed the abuse to a school teacher in the Dhupguri town in West Bengal after hesitating to speak up for years, out of fear.

Police spokesman K.L. Sherpa in the Jalpaiguri district told Reuters: "Her father, a farmer aged around 50, allegedly raped her several times. She alleged that her uncle also raped her and of late, her brother had also started."

The girl was taken to the police after her confession where she registered a complaint against her father, uncle and brother.

According to police, the victim fell pregnant twice and was forced to have abortions. She also attempted to commit suicide four times.

The victim's mother knew of the abuses but kept silent, police reported. The girl is presently in the care of her aunt.

An increasing number of victims have chosen to come forward and report incidences of sexual abuse following the fatal gang rape of a woman in a Delhi bus in 2012, that sparked a major outcry across India and around the world.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there has been a 26.7 per cent rise in reports of crimes against women between 2012 and 2013, with an estimated 309,546 reported cases in 2013.

Many crimes against women still remain unreported in small towns and villages due to the social stigma associated with sexual abuse.

A 20-year-old woman in West Bengal was reportedly gang raped by 13 men in January 2014 on the order of a village court, after she was found to have a relationship with a man from a different community, reported The Times of India.

Several villages have set up their own local councils that act as de facto courts, often punishing women found to have affairs by ordering rape.