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Inside the Hamad International Airport built in Doha. (Valery Sharifulin / TASS (Photo by Valery Sharifulin TASS via Getty Images)
- Several women were removed from their flight and examined for signs of labor after the baby was found in a bathroom at Hamad International.
- One passenger described how she was told to remove her lower body clothing for a doctor to examine.
- The Australian government described the procedures as “tremendously disruptive” and “offensive”.
Female passengers flying from Qatar were subjected to invasive searches after a premature baby was found abandoned in an airport bathroom, in procedures the Australian government described Monday as “extremely disturbing” and “offensive”.
Several women, including those from Australia, were removed from their flight and examined for signs of labor after the baby was found in a bathroom at Hamad International in the Qatari capital.
The Australian government on Monday condemned the October 2 incident, which only came to light after Australian passengers spoke, and said concerns had been raised in Qatar.
“This is a tremendously disturbing, offensive and worrying set of events. It is not something I have ever heard of happening in my life,” said Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
“We have made our concerns very clear to the Qatari authorities at this time,” he said, adding that the matter was also referred to the Australian Federal Police.
A source in Doha briefed on the incident told AFP that officials “were forcing women to undergo invasive body searches, basically forced pap smears,” an internal examination of the cervix.
Passenger Wolfgang Babeck told AFP that the women returned to their flight from Doha to Sydney in a state of “shock” after being told to remove their lower body clothing for examination by a doctor.
“Everyone was upset, some angry, one was crying, but basically no one could believe what happened,” said the commercial lawyer, adding that he thought the incident could be “a violation of international law.”
As a result, that flight, Qatar Airways’ QR908 to Sydney, was delayed for four hours leaving Doha, according to the air traffic website Flightradar24. It is unclear how many flights were involved.
In an official statement, Doha’s Hamad International Airport confirmed a broad schedule of events, without providing details of the procedures, or the number of women and flights involved.
“Medical professionals expressed concern to officials about the health and well-being of a mother who had just given birth and requested that they locate her before leaving,” the statement said.
“Assistance in the consultation was requested from people who had access to the specific area of the airport where the newborn was found.”
It is understood that in addition to the Australians, a French woman was also affected, according to an official.
Some members of the group received mental health assistance and support while they spent the past two weeks in quarantine, under the rules set by Australian authorities to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
A report by the Qatari authorities on the incident is “imminent”, according to Payne, who admitted that the passengers informed Australian officials of the situation “at the time of the flight”.
The incident could damage Qatar’s reputation as it prepares to host tens of thousands of foreign visitors for the 2022 soccer world cup.
Qatar applies a strict form of Islamic law, with severe penalties applied to women who become pregnant or have children out of wedlock.
Doha airport launched an appeal on Sunday for the boy’s mother to come forward, suggesting that checks carried out at the time were inconclusive.
“The newborn remains unidentified, but is safe under the professional care of medical and social workers,” it said in its statement, requesting that anyone with information come forward.
