Horrifying new statistics have been released which reveal that a gay boy in India was forced to have sex with his mother in an attempt to ‘cure’ him of being gay.

‘Corrective rapes’ are carried out in order to attempt to ‘cure’ a gay or lesbian person of their sexuality.

The practice is reported by the LGBT Collective to have taken place over a dozen times in five years in Telangana, southern India, where family members such as cousins are selected to attempt to ‘cure’ a gay person of their same-sex attractions.

In one disturbing case, a boy was forced to have sex with his mother in an attempt to make him ‘turn’ straight.

Other reports include a young lesbian being raped by her cousin, and others who were raped by their own brothers.

Speaking to the Times of India, a spokesman for the Collective said the rapes often go unreported, because victims are so traumatised by the practice.

Over the past five years, the group says it has had fifteen ‘corrective rapes’ reported, but that they were “sure that there are many more cases”.

The spokesman, Vyjayanti Mogli said: “We came across such cases not because they reported the rape, but because they sought help to flee their homes.”

Sometimes a girl may have been promised to one of her cousins at birth, so her fiancé would be the one to carry out the rape.