Women at Doha airport were removed from flights and forced to undergo invasive internal inspection in an ambulance on the tarmac

[ReplacementPlasticUterus]

I can't quite believe this.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-54682565

Why can't you believe it?

It's an expression.

I'm not doubting it. I'm just shocked.

Appalling. I assume they had no option to refuse.

That's horrific. State sanctioned and enforced sexual assault.

Women are treated abysmally in many ways here (just 1.5% of reported rapes charged, far less convicted) but at least it's not the state ordering the assaults in the first place.

@Smallsteps88

Appalling. I assume they had no option to refuse.

The Australian new report states that they were 'forced to remove their underwear' by Qatari authorities, and weren't told the reasons.

Terrifying.

It really must have been terrifying for them. Those poor women.

I wonder if there is any recourse for the women who aren’t from Doha.

Wow just awful. I do also feel that people should be aware of terrible human rights records when travelling places. In no way are the people who were examined responsible. But personally I would not go to a county where women are treated like this.

That is fucking appalling!!

I think as it's one of the few air corridors open to Australia at the moment some people may be travelling through there from necessity rather than choice.

Dress modestly except when we say take your knickers off based on a whim. That's one heck of a degrading and broad brush approach to trying to reunite a mother and baby.

That's horrific! Surely there are more sympathetic ways to try and locate the mother of a premature baby

Interesting how they knew exactly who the women were and how they identified. Disgusting and a total violation. This world just keeps getting worse for women.

Wow. Does anyone know how international law works - if this was a legal action in Doha (presumably being justified to identify the mother of the abandoned baby) then there probably is nothing that can be done. Awful. Tragic situation in the first place as well.

Horrendous
They may not have even been visiting the country. We’ve often used ME airlines to get to Aus from London. And have flown Qatar (to Thailand I think that time).

Anyway it’s not uncommon just to pass through the airports.

This is awful and what makes it even worse for the Australian women who went through this is that they'll have to face two weeks of isolation when their plane lands.

One of my friends who recently returned home to Australia had to pay thousands of dollars for the experience of being shut in a tiny hotel room for two weeks, being given lukewarm food. She wasn't even allowed out to exercise.

Two weeks in isolation to dwell on this horrible experience before they can go home and try to heal.

@Cwenthryth

Wow. Does anyone know how international law works - if this was a legal action in Doha (presumably being justified to identify the mother of the abandoned baby) then there probably is nothing that can be done. Awful. Tragic situation in the first place as well.

I'd like to think that forcibly conducting internal examinations on unwilling women can't be enshrined in Qatari law, but nothing would surprise me.

It just goes to show how little they think of women that this was their go-to response at finding an abandoned baby. Round up all the women and subject them to inhuman and degrading examination.

What's wrong with a blood/urine test as the first port of call in such situations?

Anyone have any concern for the baby that a mother discarded?

Do you George?

@Georgeoftheinternet

Anyone have any concern for the baby that a mother discarded?

Are you serious?

Oh sure. One woman abandoned a premature baby so all women have to submit to internal examinations to prove it wasn’t them.

What a breathtaking violation.

Is the baby ok?

I never understand why they want to find the mothers of abandoned babies. Either the mothers abandon them because they'd be in mortal danger for having said baby or they really don't want it so for gods sake don't give it back. Just let them be and find some sweet adoptive parents,

I never understand why they want to find the mothers of abandoned babies.

Because she may need medical assistance, or be in need of police/legal help herself.

Seeing how they treated women who might have been the mother, I don't hold much hope for how they would treat the mother if they found her. Do we know if they did?

@Pertella

I never understand why they want to find the mothers of abandoned babies.

Because she may need medical assistance, or be in need of police/legal help herself.

Because abandoning a child, possibly to die, is a crime? Because she might have been forced to abandon it? Because she might have changed her mind?