What constitutes Incest?

Incest refers to sexual intercourse between persons closely related by blood or marriage as defined by law. Incest also applies in instances of legal adoption. What is important is the ‘family’ relationship.

According to law, incest is defined in situations where a person has sexual intercourse with another person who is related in any of the following ways:

- Where the offender and the victim are directly descended from the other (that is father/daughter)

- Where the perpetrator is the adoptive parent, adoptive grand parent, and the victim is the adopted child or adopted grand child of the other

- The female, who is the victim, is the sister of the male by full or half blood or by adoption

- The female is a descendant from either of them

- Where the male is the brother of the female either by full or half blood or by adoption

- Where the male is the son of the victim’s brother or sister (that is the nephew) by full or half blood or by adoption or is a descendant from either of them

- Where the male is the son of her husband by another mother (that is a step son)

- Where the male is, or is her deceased daughter’s or grand daughter's or mother's or grand mother's husband.