Women forced to have genitals examined after baby was left in airport toilet
More than a dozen women were forcibly strip-searched and examined at an airport in Qatar after a newborn baby was found abandoned in the terminal toilets.
The passengers, including 13 Australians, were taken off a Qatar Airways flight to Sydney on October 2, and led to ambulances on the tarmac where doctors were waiting to check if any of the women had recently given birth.
They were forced to remove their underwear and undergo an invasive medical examination before being allowed back on the flight at Hamad International Airport.
The passengers then went into a 14-days hotel quarantine on arrival in Sydney.
Wolfgang Babeck, who was returning home to Australia on the flight, said women were taken from the plane regardless of their age.
‘When the women came back, many of them or probably all of them were upset. One of them was in tears, a younger woman, and people couldn’t believe what had happened,’ he told ABC.
‘They told me they had to take their underwear off or their clothes from the bottom and then it was inspected whether they had given birth.’
Australia’s foreign office described their treatment as offensive, grossly inappropriate and beyond circumstances in which they could give free and informed consent.
‘The Australian government is deeply concerned at the unacceptable treatment of some female passengers,’ a spokesperson said.
‘The government has formally registered our serious concerns about this incident with Qatari authorities.’
Hamad International Airport management said the baby was safe and being cared for by medical and social workers.
Medical professionals were concerned for the mother’s health after the infant was found and had requested she be located, the airport said in a statement.
‘Individuals who had access to a specific area of the airport where the newborn infant was found were asked to assist in the query,’ the statement added.
State-owned Qatar Airways said it had not been contacted by any of the passengers on the flight and said it could not comment.
‘We appreciate the concerns and distress expressed to you by the Australian passengers who you have spoken to and will be investigating these matters with relevant authorities and officials,’ a spokeswoman said.
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