Australian women on Qatar flight internally examined

[jonboixxx]

When I backpacked, when I was much younger, I was aware of the rule of law as I travelled. I believe we would all try and mitigate risk and knowing what I know now, I will now avoid all transfer through the Middle East once borders reopen.

 

[RooFlyer]

When I backpacked, when I was much younger, I was aware of the rule of law as I travelled. I believe we would all try and mitigate risk and knowing what I know now, I will now avoid all transfer through the Middle East once borders reopen.

I can respect that, and many here will be doing the same. But will you apply the same principle to all the other countries with egregious human rights records? Even the USA - death penalty for children. Russia ... China, Iran, etc, etc. Have you seen what the Human Rights watchers say about Australia?

It’sa tricky one.

 

[Mrsfefe]

'I was terrified and humiliated': Victim of invasive intimate search at Qatar airport speaks for the first time to 60 Minutes

An Australian victim of an invasive intimate search conducted at a Qatar airport last month has told 60 Min...

9now.nine.com.au

In case anyone doubts the effect on these women. It was such an unnecessary way to get the information they wanted.

Maybe it’s just that with the internet we find out about more instances of humans treating other humans appallingly, but it is really taking the shine off travelling anywhere for me. We may not be perfect in Australia, but we seem to be more considerate of others than in many other parts of the world.

 

[RAM]

I can respect that, and many here will be doing the same. But will you apply the same principle to all the other countries with egregious human rights records? Even the USA - death penalty for children. Russia ... China, Iran, etc, etc. Have you seen what the Human Rights watchers say about Australia?

It’sa tricky one.

Yes, Australia's record (the last 5 years) in stopping Aboriginal children being used as quasi-sex slaves has got worse.

This is a live issue here in Sydney today, around the La Perouse area - that I know off. Given the data from the "Little Children are Sacred Report" decades ago - something along the lines that >50% of females under 14 have STDs, youngest mentioned in the report was under 4.

One of the reasons so many straight out of Goulburn female police graduates leave the force within a year is they see this ZZZZZZZZ & are just about powerless. Found out years ago when two young police women arrived at a meeting I chaired & were clearly distressed. It did not take long for them to reveal why - they'd just seen one young girl being dropped off by a very well known local, the same girl that one was a 'big sister to'. Meanwhile the Macquarie St accolytes don't want any trouble...

Both girls & boys under 12 are used by their fathers to get drugs & booze. 20 minutes a slab of beer. It is known throughout the local area (politiicans, police, political staffers, courts) but nothing is done - not even regular patrols during prime time. Reason officially not targeting any single community.

For years the young female constables run a "Big sister" program off-the-books. Pick them up after school, give them a dinner, bring them together with others to play games etc etc. Trouble is the fathers don't like losing their earner. You can imagine.

Unlike the Qatar incident -this is not a one-off that's later acknowledged as wrong.

 

[get me outta here]

To get back on topic, what was the outcome of last nights 60 minutes program?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

To get back on topic, what was the outcome of last nights 60 minutes program?

No real new information. First the women were told about what was happening was when they got into the ambulance and were told that a baby had been found, followed by the examination.

Still no apology issued directly to the women from Qatar.

The emotional upset perhaps explained why the story did not break sooner.... there was shock, anger, and also shame.

 

[dajop]

I can respect that, and many here will be doing the same. But will you apply the same principle to all the other countries with egregious human rights records? Even the USA - death penalty for children. Russia ... China, Iran, etc, etc. Have you seen what the Human Rights watchers say about Australia?

It’sa tricky one.

I took the comment of jjonnboy’s that you quoted more as one of personal risk mitigation than being about human rights boycotts. The human rights one is indeed, as you point out. a tricky one, but for example if a woman or a couple refuse to travel on Qatar because there is a risk of this sort of incident happening to them - that is their prerogative. There are plenty of things that can go wrong travelling in many parts of the Middle East where the way the justice system works means that some would feel uncomfortable travelling to or through there.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Maybe it’s just that with the internet we find out about more instances of humans treating other humans appallingly, but it is really taking the shine off travelling anywhere for me. We may not be perfect in Australia, but we seem to be more considerate of others than in many other parts of the world.

Two wrongs don't make a right. Nothing should detract from the incident at Doha. But perhaps it's a reminder to ask whether something like this could happen in Australia... and do we have the right protections in place?

We we had a similar incident in Victoria, although not at an airport (Tasty Nightclub).

It is claimed by the Qataris that the incident was carried out by [a small number of] staff without authority. We have something similar in front of the army command right now.

We also know we have extraordinary powers being given to people to exercise searches of personal devices, and strip searches, on what might appear to be little evidence, for example customs. On this the Ombudsman noted experiences of people not knowing why they had been searched, or feeling officers had exceeded powers. Those sorts of interactions may not be far removed in terms of mental impacts from what happened at Doha.

 

[Danger]

To get back on topic, what was the outcome of last nights 60 minutes program?

A few ratings points would be about the extent of it, I imagine.

 

[get me outta here]

From today’s SMH:
“Dubai: Qatar's public prosecutor has filed criminal charges against an unspecified number of police officers working at Qatar's Hamad airport after women said they were invasively searched there last month”.

The rest of the article follows, saying it was an Asian mother now overseas. The father is aware of the birth.

 

[Pushka]

From today’s SMH:
“Dubai: Qatar's public prosecutor has filed criminal charges against an unspecified number of police officers working at Qatar's Hamad airport after women said they were invasively searched there last month”.

The rest of the article follows, saying it was an Asian mother now overseas. The father is aware of the birth.

I wonder if Asian implies Indian or Filipino and perhaps we can work out the rest of the story from there.

 

[RAM]

I wonder if Asian implies Indian or Filipino and perhaps we can work out the rest of the story from there.

Curious, report on ABC said that the father has been identified & confirmed by DNA test.

The saddest part of this IMHO is that there is a 7 week old baby without a mother & if this turns out as expected with a migrant worker...
Likely no father either & faces such an uncertain & potentially awful future.

 

[Pushka]

Curious, report on ABC said that the father has been identified & confirmed by DNA test.

Agree, although thinking that it is likely DNA wasn’t simply on file but once they had determined the mother then enquires would have insisted on DNA sampling of implicated parties. He may not have even known. Well, that will be his position no doubt.

 

[get me outta here]

If the father was in a position of power over the woman the father may never be outed.
IF so, this would not be the first time a migrant housekeeper had been appalling treated by her ‘owners’. Of course, it may be one of her own cohort. In which case he may still be there to be able to have a DNA check.
Seeing as women are jailed for having sex and men aren’t, I hope she gets to stay wherever she is.

 

[BriarFlyer]

From this SBS News article: "The public prosecutor said the mother and father were from "Asian countries" which in Qatar typically refers to the nations of South Asia where a large number of migrant workers come from." Also says that the mother sent the father a photo of the newborn baby before departing the country.

 

[Mattg]

From this SBS News article: "The public prosecutor said the mother and father were from "Asian countries" which in Qatar typically refers to the nations of South Asia where a large number of migrant workers come from." Also says that the mother sent the father a photo of the newborn baby before departing the country.

In explaining how DNA testing had identified the mother, the SBS article also says that "All expatriates coming to Qatar for long-term work are required to give a substantial sample of blood during the registration process."

Is this a normal procedure for expats going to work in another country? I've certainly never heard of such a requirement before - the most I've had to give when registering to work in another country was fingerprints. Genuine question - do other countries also require this?

 

[UP4014]

I can respect that, and many here will be doing the same. But will you apply the same principle to all the other countries with egregious human rights records? Even the USA - death penalty for children. Russia ... China, Iran, etc, etc. Have you seen what the Human Rights watchers say about Australia?

It’sa tricky one.

I'd just point out, generally western countries previously colonized by Europeans , USA, Europe, many African countries while they may have the death penalty they also have the rule of law. Unlike China, Iran and middle east.

 

[kelvedon]

Seeing as women are jailed for having sex and men aren’t, I hope she gets to stay wherever she is.

That’s not her only problem. According to the SMH the Public Prosecutor has charged her with attempted murder.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If the father was in a position of power over the woman the father may never be outed.
IF so, this would not be the first time a migrant housekeeper had been appalling treated by her ‘owners’. Of course, it may be one of her own cohort. In which case he may still be there to be able to have a DNA check.
Seeing as women are jailed for having sex and men aren’t, I hope she gets to stay wherever she is.

Depends on lots of things... like if there is an extradition treaty between the two countries, and the terms of that treaty, etc

I would be surprised if the law allowed extradition for 'sex outside marriage'. For the charge of attempted murder however, that could be a possibility.

 

[Pushka]

That’s not her only problem. According to the SMH the Public Prosecutor has charged her with attempted murder.

Well, sadly, that's what she tried to do.