Women on a flight from Qatar to Australia say they underwent invasive internal exams after airport staff discovered a newborn baby in a terminal bathroom

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Women on a flight from Qatar to Australia say they underwent invasive internal exams after airport staff discovered a newborn baby in a terminal bathroom
The women were reportedly not told why they were being examined.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty
  • Women on a flight from Qatar to Australia on October 2 told news outlets this week that they underwent invasive internal exams after airport staff in Doha discovered a newborn baby in a terminal bathroom.
  • The women, including 13 Australians, were removed from their flight and brought to an ambulance, where they had to remove their underwear and undergo an examination, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
  • The Australian government told The Guardian that it was "deeply concerned at the unacceptable treatment of some female passengers on a recent Qatar Airways flight at Doha Airport."
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Women on a flight from Qatar to Australia on October 2 told news outlets this week that they underwent invasive internal exams after airport staff in Doha discovered a newborn baby in a terminal bathroom.

The women, including 13 Australians, were removed from their Qatar Airways flight at Hamad International Airport and brought to an ambulance, where they had to remove their underwear and undergo an examination, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Sunday.

The airport staff members were apparently trying to determine whether any of the women had just given birth to the baby, who has not been identified, ABC reported.

Airport officials said they asked the women to cooperate in the search, and Qatari officials said they were still trying to locate the baby's mother, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Australian government condemned the searches, telling The Guardian that it was "deeply concerned at the unacceptable treatment of some female passengers on a recent Qatar Airways flight at Doha Airport."

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"The advice that has been provided indicates that the treatment of the women concerned was offensive, grossly inappropriate, and beyond circumstances in which the women could give free and informed consent," a representative for Australia's foreign affairs minister told the newspaper.

The representative also said the Australian government had been in contact with officials in Qatar to discuss their concerns.

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