Football World Cup: travelers warn about the reception conditions for female supporters in Qatar

One month before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a group of female travelers warns of the country's reception conditions. During their express passage through the Arabian Peninsula, these women had been forced to undergo a gynecological examination.

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On Sunday October 23, a group of women filed a lawsuit against the Qatari authorities. In question, forced gynecological examinations undergone in 2020 at the airport of Doha .

In October 2020, passengers on ten flights of Qatar Airways had been forced to undergo gynecological examinations as Qatari authorities searched for the mother of a newborn baby abandoned in an airport toilet.

Among these women , 13 Australian women had complained about the treatment they had received. Five of them eventually filed lawsuits in Australia against the Qatari Civil Aviation Authority and Qatar Airways.

« This group of brave women was forced to take legal action to tell Qatar that what happened was unacceptable and should not be allowed to happen again. With less than a month to go before the World Cup, the women (who will travel to Qatar) have the right to obtain from Qatar the assurance that human rights will be respected “said the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Damian Sturzaker, to AFP.

Guarantee the safety and reception of female supporters for the World Cup

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The group of passengers, aged between 31 and 73 at the time, were on board flight QR908 from Doha to Sydney when they, like all the women on the plane, were asked to leave the aircraft, via a message in the cabin. Armed with their passports, the group of women were escorted to ambulances located on the tarmac, by ' people in uniforms and armies “, say the documents filed in an Australian federal court.

The complainants said they suffered from post-traumatic stress since this episode during which one of them underwent an examination of her chest and belly, in addition to her private parts.

These women accuse Qatar Airways and the authorities of negligence, assault, assault and battery, kidnapping... They are also claiming damages and compensation for the injuries suffered and the guarantee that this incident will not happen again from the authorities. supporters during the world Cup .