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More than a dozen women deboarded, strip searched at Qatar airport after baby found in toilet sparking outrage

The women were checked for signs of having recently given birth after the baby was found inside a toilet at the Hamad International Airport

More than a dozen female passengers were made to undergo 'invasive' and 'humiliating' body search exams in Qatar after a newborn baby was found abandoned at the Doha airport. Australia has said that it has raised 'grossly disturbing' reports with Qatar that women were strip-searched before taking a flight from Doha to Sydney. The women were checked for signs of having recently given birth after the baby was found inside a toilet at the Hamad International Airport. 

The unidentified baby is being cared after having been found on October 2.. The news of the strip searches came to light when Australian women spoke out about the incident. Women from other countries had also been examined. Two women spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and said that all adult women on the Qatar Airways flight were made to disembark to be body-searched. Thirteen Australian women were taken to an ambulance on the tarmac and had been told to remove their underwear before being examined, reports revealed. While speaking to the Guardian, Kim Mills who was amongst the women taken off the flight said they were taken to a dark car park where three ambulances were waiting. 

"My legs were just wobbling. I was terrified they were going to take me away somewhere. Why didn't they explain to us what was going on?" she shared. "It was absolutely terrible. I can't imagine what it was like for those poor young girls." 

Passengers had just boarded the flight before being told to get off, witnesses revealed. According to a fellow passenger, Wolfgang Babeck shared that he watched as many of the women re-boarded the flight with many of them being upset. "One of them was in tears - a younger woman," he revealed. 

The Australian government said that reports had indicated that the treatment of women was "beyond circumstances in which the women could give free and informed consent." Foreign Minister Marise Payne was asked whether it constituted sexual assault, to which she said, "No, I am not suggesting that because I have not seen the detailed report of the events."

She said that she had referred the "grossly disturbing, offensive, concerning set of events" to the Australian Federal Police and that Australia would "determine the next steps" after receiving an explanation from Qatari officials.

The Hamad International airport released a statement saying, "Medical professionals expressed concern to officials about the health and welfare of a mother who had just given birth and requested she be located prior to departing. Individuals who had access to the specific area of the airport where the newborn infant was found were asked to assist in the query."

The incident has sparked outrage across social media. One user commented on the news and said, "If another nation did that to women from Qatar guess what they'll do to your head." Another added, "What an interesting way to tell people that you aren’t upset by people being raped."

"Not only is this a gross violation for these women, but also a ridiculous way to try to identify the mother. A DNA test would have made more sense or old fashioned detective work watching security cameras etc," wrote another user.