Child raped by father then lashed as punishment

'You can't have a parallel judiciary that's completely unaccountable and gives arbitrary punishments - many of them barbaric.'

India is famous for it's diverse culture, vibrant clothing, incredible festivals, elephant gods, elaborate gold jewelry, the Taj Mahal and spicy food. It is an amazing place for tourists to visit - but what about the natives?

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - India has long struggled with the distribution of power, particularly for women.

Though India's larger cities have seen a spike in educated and working women, several smaller villages continue the ancient practice of punishing women more severely and much more often than their male counterparts, even if the women are victims.

According to The Washington Post, a teen aged somewhere between twelve and 15-years-old - her parents are unsure of her age - lives in a small village where she works as an acrobat in her father's show.

Her father, Shivram Chavan, lost his wife from tuberclosis and returned home late one night in a drunken stupor.

As his daughter slept soundly beside her 7-year-old sister, Laila, Chavan clamped his hand over his eldest daughter's mouth and raped her.

Her older brothers were never told of the incident but began to suspect him.

When the men ostracized their father, he decided to admit his guilt.

Two months after the incestuous rape, the village council called for a public meeting with the father and daughter.

Local farmer and labor activist Sachin Tukaram Bhise was on his way to a nearby village when he noticed the meeting and stopped to observe.

Chavan bowed his head and admitted he raped his daughter. He then explained he was prepared to accept whatever punishment the council was willing to deliver. The council then turned to the girl and Bhise was shocked to hear what they said.

"They said it was the girl's fault. That the father was drunk and he was not in his senses," Bhise recalled. "I got angered at the whole thing. How could a girl invite such an act? The panch said, 'You're useless, you're the culprit.' She was crying."

Before the council could continue, Bhise pulled out his phone to record the verdict. Chavan was fined the equivalent of $67 and a whipping of fifteen "sticks," while the girl was punished with five "sticks." Each was to be whipped until each branch broke.

Bhise immediately went to the police to report the abuse of power. The police responded immediately.

All seven council members were arrested and charged with conspiracy, extortion and assault. Chavan was also arrested and was held on child abuse charges.

As horrible as the situation sounds, the girl's plight is one of many.

Across India, authorities have been trying to crack down on the old-school village councils, most of which punish the innocent, blame and punish women, and are even responsible for ostracizing families and individuals.

Representatives from the advocacy group Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith have been legally fighting caste councils, which are called "panchayats."

The group reported incidents of women being forced to grab a coin from a container of boiling oil to prove their purity and other, equally horrendous and meaningless acts all aimed at women.

"You can't gave a parallel judiciary that's completely unaccountable and gives arbitrary punishments - many of them barbaric," Hamid Dabholkar, the advocacy group's head explained. "That is what happened in this case where the girl was beaten when she herself was a victim."

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