Qatar airline strip searches female passengers after finding an abandoned newborn in the airport toilet. Reports said that they forced the women to take vaginal exams without advising them on the reason for the sudden test.
News.com.au reported that on October 2, women who were on the Sydney-bound plane got dragged into Hamad International Airport. According to BBC, the shocked passengers, which included 13 Australians, were strip-searched.
The outlet reported that Australia complains about the "grossly disturbing" incident with Qatar after subjecting their citizens to "invasive" exams. Two women passengers told Australia's ABC that they were clueless about why their trip got delayed for three hours.
No one told them what was happening
One of the women from Flight QR908 said that no one told them what was happening. She noted that it was terrifying because no one spoke English about the incident. She explained that 13 women had to go, including a mom who had to leave her sleeping kids on the plane.
She also said that even a visually-impaired elderly woman had to go with them too. The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, also told the outlet that she is thinking of doing legal action even though she respected the country's laws and culture.
Another woman said that other women started panicking after learning that they have to leave the airport. She noted that authorities told her to pull her pants down because they need to examine her vagina.
Had no choice but to get inspected
While she tried to stop them, the people kept saying they "need to see it." In the end, she took her clothes off, and a female nurse touched her for inspection.
One of the women, Kim Mills, shared what she saw. She said that a young woman was "crying and distraught" after coming out of an ambulance. Mills turned around and tried to comfort the woman, then asked her what is going on. The woman explained that a baby was found in the bathroom.
Thankfully, Mills has gray hair and was in her 60s, so she got spared from the exams. She explained that her legs were wobbling when they were allowed to board the plane again. She also said that even cabin crews were "absolutely horrified" of what had happened.
Mills also noted that the captain and the pilot were not aware of what was going on and why they got held. When the plane landed in Sydney, the purser apologized to the passengers on behalf of the captain and the crew.
Marise Payne, Australian Foreign Minister, said that they have made their views very clear to the Qatari authorities about the offensive and concerning matter. Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese told ABC that the incident was "completely unacceptable."
According to the New South Wales police, they gave medical and psychological support to all the women passengers while they quarantine in the hotel. The airport stated that they are taking care of the newborn in Qatar.
