LGBT group received 15 reports of 'corrective rape' in the last five years

In Bangalore a gay man was forced to have sex with his own mother

Often it will be a cousin but there are reports of girls raped by own brother

A gay man was forced to have sex with his mother while lesbians are being raped by their cousins to 'cure' their homosexuality, according to a gay rights groups in India.

'Corrective rapes' are said to be carried out by the victim's own family members in a desperate bid for 'straight' children.

The parents will arrange the rape and handpick a relative - usually a cousin - to carry out the heinous act, claim the crisis intervention team of LGBT Collective in Telangana, southern India.

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Rape is a major issue in India with attacks resulting in a number of street protests with many calling for more protection

But in one shocking case, there were reports of family members in Bangalore forcing a gay boy to have sex with his mother to 'cure' him.

In another, a young lesbian was raped by her cousin, while there are further reports that sometimes victims' own brothers are used to carry out the 'corrective rape.'

The horrific crimes are so traumatising for their victims, they often go unreported, a spokesman for the LGBT Collective told Times of India.

The group say they have had at least 15 'corrective rapes' reported to them in the last five years.

'We are sure there are many more cases, but they go unreported, says Vyjayanti Mogli, a member of crisis intervention.

'We came across such cases not because they reported the rape, but because they sought help to flee their homes.'

'It's usually a cousin who's roped in for this 'project'.

Mr Mogli added that in many cases in southern India, a girl may have been promised to one of her cousins at birth so it is her betrothed that is brought in to carry out the 'corrective rape.'

'If it is found out that she is in a relationship with another girl, elders in the family believe having sex with the 'would-be', even if it's forcibly, will cure her,' he told Times of India.

Anti-rape protests take place as official statistics say about 25,000 rapes are committed every year in India, a nation of 1.2 billion people

Furious: The violence of recent attacks has shocked the nation, with protestors calling for severe punishment for rapists

India's Supreme Court reimposed a ban on gay sex in late 2013, ruling that responsibility for changing the 1861 law rested with lawmakers and not judges.

Gay sex had been effectively legalised in 2009 when the Delhi High Court ruled that banning 'carnal intercourse against the order of nature' was a violation of fundamental rights.

Anyone found breaking the laws can face up to ten years in jail.

Members of the gay community have filed petitions to the top court since the 2013 ruling asking for a review on criminalising gay sex.

Campaigners say the law is rarely used to prosecute homosexual acts, but add that police do use it to harass and blackmail members of their already marginalised community.

In January this year, Indian state minister Ramesh Tawadkar sparked fury when he announced plans to open treatment centres for the LGBT community to 'make them normal', comparing homosexuals to alcoholics.

Surveys show broad disapproval of homosexuality in India, forcing many gay men and women to live double lives.

Hindu hardliners have often called same-sex relationships a disease and a Western cultural import.

Hyderabadi filmmaker Deepthi Tadanki's upcoming film, Satyavati, is one of the first to tackle the use of 'corrective rape' to 'cure' homosexuality.

The film is based on real-life stories including the case of the young gay man being forced to have sex with his mother. The victim refused to talk about the experience.

He said: 'Many rapes go unreported in India, and it will take years before something like corrective rape even gets talked about. That's why I wanted to tell this story.'

Rape remains a major issue in India with a number of high-profile cases sparking international calls for more action.

Official statistics say about 25,000 rapes are committed every year in India, a nation of 1.2 billion people

Public protests after the fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in December 2012 jolted many in the world's second most populous country out of apathy and forced the government to enact stiffer penalties on gender crimes.

Since then, voracious reporting by the media, campaigns by the government and programmes by civil society groups have brought greater public awareness of women's rights and emboldened more victims to come forward and register abuses.

In 2013 Indian authorities received 309,546 reports of crimes against women, a 26.7 per cent jump from 2012, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

But in many small towns and villages, most cases still go unreported due to the shame and stigma attached to rape in these conservative societies, where the victim is often blamed.

In some villages, local councils act as de facto courts, often ordering rape to punish women.

In January 2014, a 20-year-old woman in West Bengal state was gang-raped by 13 men on the orders of a village court as punishment for having a relationship with a man from a different community.