Rape victim, 15, who faced 100 lashes in the Maldives for 'fornication' has sentence QUASHED after court caves in to global outrage The girl had reportedly been abused by her stepfather for years They were arrested after the body of a baby was found buried outside their home Amnesty International describe the charges as 'outrageous' Sentence quashed after girl denied 'confessing' to consensual sex outside marraige A 15-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped by her stepfather, has had her sentenced quashed after it caused a global outrage. She was due to receive 100 lashes for having pre-marital sex with another man. The sentence for 'fornication' back in February sparked a petition by global campaing network, Avaaz, and anger from the country's opposition and women's rights groups. 15-year-old girl's sentence quashed: Nine out of 10 sentences for flogging in the Maldives in 2011 were given to women (woman pictured outside a shop in the Maldives) The petition to have her sentence commuted was signed by two million people worldwide. Last week, the Maldivian High Court overturned the sentence, which was hailed as a victory by Avaaz. There were calls for a moratorium on all flogging sentences in the Maldives, which is under he Islamic government of President Mohammed Waheed Hassan. Paradise island: Local campaigners urged tourists, including many British honeymooners, to consider the damaging effect on women's rights such a sentence would have The 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is free but was put under house arrest on an island near the capital Male following her sentence. The sentence was overturned, according to the High Court, because the girl denied 'confessing' to consensual sex outside marriage. Campaigners are now calling for her to continue her education and be looked after by the state rather than returned to her family where she could face more abuse. Alaphia Zoyab, who led the campaign on behalf of Avaaz told The Independent on Sunday: 'This is great news that her flogging sentence has been overturned and that she no longer faces house arrest. The reason this is a big deal is that we are talking about a 15-year-old child. She is a child. A lot of people have said she knew what she was doing, but she is a child. The girl and her step-father were first arrested after the body of a baby she had given birth to was found buried outside their house on Feydhoo in June 2012. Pressure: Two million people worldwide signed a petition calling for her sentence to be commuted (Maldivian women in traditional dress) Her stepfather, who had allegedly been abusing the girl for years, is reportedly facing 25 years in prison for the rape and allegedly killing a baby conceived from it. He has been charged with sexually abusing a minor, possessing pornography, and murder, while her mother has been charged with concealing a crime and murder. The Maldivian government had reportedly urged the court to show leniency describing the girl as having been 'traumatised' by the rape. Amnesty International had described the charges against he girl as 'outrageous'. And campaigners from Avaaz had launched a poster appealing to the 500,000 tourists travelling to the 'paradise' island each year, including British honeymooners, to consider the damaging effect on women's rights such sentences have. Nine out of 10 sentences for flogging in the Maldives in 2011 were given to women, while no one has been convicted of rape in the past three years.