Four female students at Brigham Young University in Utah say they were punished by their school, after reporting alleged rapes.

They say BYU told them that they had violated their strict 'honour code' - which prohibits pre-marital sex.

Brigham Young University is operated by the Mormon Church, and students have to abide by strict rules to remain at the school.

The school responded to the controversy by saying "sometimes in the course of an investigation, facts come to light that a victim has engaged in prior honour code violations... in all honour code proceedings the University strives for fairness, sensitivity and compassion."

However, the students who made the allegations say the University is attempting to protect its own reputation, rather than the safety of students.

Another survivor of sexual assault told CNN that she didn't report it to the school or Police, due to fears that she would be found in violation of the honour code. 

A petition has been circulated calling on the University to give honour code immunity to all students who report rape and sexual assault. It has been signed by more than 100,000 people.