Jambi province in Indonesia. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Jambi province in Indonesia. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A 15-year-old Indonesian girl who was repeatedly raped by her older brother was sentenced to six months in jail for having an abortion in Indonesia last week.

The girl, who was raped eight times by her 17-year-old brother since September last year, had an abortion about six months after getting pregnant, The Straits Times reported.

In June, police arrested the siblings after a male fetus was discovered at a palm oil plantation near Pulau village in Jambi province. Last Thursday at Muara Bulian District Court, the girl was sentenced to six months in jail for having an abortion. Her brother was sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor.

The brother admitted raping his sister at least eight times and threatened her with physical violence if she refused his sexual advances. The siblings’ mother, who helped her daughter get the abortion, is facing separate charges.

In Indonesia, a woman can only have an abortion if her life is at risk or if she was raped. An abortion can only be performed by a registered professional no later than six weeks into a pregnancy.

According to a report by the World Health Organization in 2013, abortions account for 30% to 50% of maternal deaths in Indonesia.

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