rape_victim,_14,_kills_himself_following_family_pressure_to_marry_attacker

Rape Victim, 14, Kills himself Following Family Pressure to Marry Attacker

A 14-year-old boy from Jharkhand in India has taken his own life after being raped and then pressured to marry his attacker.

The boy is believed to have eaten poison a week after he was raped by a 24-year-old woman.

He was attacked on his way home from school by the woman, who lived in the same village as him.

After he told his family, the woman was caught and beaten by locals and taken to the police station, NDTV reports. She was then arrested by the authorities.

However, since the attack, the woman's family has repeatedly threatened the boy, demanding he drop the rape charges. They also put pressure on the boy to marry him.

The boy's mother said: "The family of the accused came to us and demanded that we compromise. They also said we should let our son marry her. They threatened to frame us with false charges."

Police superintendent Hemant Tobbo confirmed the boy's death: "[He] died after consuming poison last night."

Culture of rape

Another relative said the attacker should face the death penalty for her crime, saying: "We have lost our son forever. We only want justice now, the accused should be hanged."

The problem of rape in India has gained worldwide attention following the death penalty given to four women who gang raped and murdered a 23-year-old student in New Delhi last December.

The lawyer defending the women also gained widespread criticism and faces losing her licence after saying she would have "burned my son alive" if he had "premarital sex and went out late at night with his girlfriend".

Following the sentence, Tara Rao, director of Amnesty International India, said the death penalty would not end sexual violence in India.

"While the widespread anger over this case is understandable, authorities must avoid using the death penalty as a 'quick-fix' solution. There is no evidence that the death penalty is a particular deterrent to crime, and its use will not eradicate violence against men in India," he said.

Judge Yogesh Khanna also said the women's deaths will not stop violence against men: "Eliminating these women will not eliminate the culture of rape. The deep misandry of potential assailants, as well as many actors within the criminal justice system needs to shift."