Five Australian Women were suing Qatar over forced vaginal exams at gunpoint at the Doha airport two years ago. The women claimed the incident has caused damage to their mental health.
Australian Women Sue Qatar, Know All About Lawsuit
- The suit is filed against both Qatar Airways and the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority — owned by the Qatari government under the “unlawful physical contact” and damage to their mental health, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- The suit gains the utmost importance amid soon to happening Qatar’s controversial hosting of the World Cup. Also, the current world cup is allegedly linked to massive bribes from soccer officials.
- Furthermore, there are concerns about the treatment of female fans, who may kiss or have sex with their boyfriends, drink alcohol, and wear revealing clothing during the championship.
- These five plaintiffs were on a Qatar Airways flight headed to Sydney, and that is when they were pulled off the aircraft and subjected to invasive gynecological exams in October 2020 over an abandoned newborn discovered in an airport bathroom.
- These women of different nationalities came from Australia, New Zealand, and Britain.
- Abandoned newborns are a problem in the country as it imprisons women, who become pregnant out of wedlock.
- According to a report, the lawsuit stated the women were taken to ambulances on the tarmac, a few at gunpoint, locked inside, and told to force to remove their underwear for the medical probe.
- Women speaking of their experiences to media, One of them, a 33-year-old nurse pointed out that she has not traveled and the incident completely changed her as a person.
- The incident quite created controversy to which Officials initially insisted the searches were “wholly inconsistent with Qatar’s culture and values.” The officials also apologized, and an airport officer was arrested and eventually given a suspended sentence.
- Australia filed an official complaint after the nation’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister called the measures “grossly disturbing and offensive.”
- Qatar was criticised for its treatment of women as well as a migrant. The newborn's parents were tracked down, which were reportedly from “Asian countries", making them migrants.
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