Qatar airport invasive search passengers take new action

The seven Australian women suing the Qatari government for forcing them to undertake invasive searches at its airport are now also complaining to an international authority on business standards. Marque Lawyers’ partner Damian Sturzaker said his clients hoped the move would force authorities to ensure no other passengers would be forced to endure such an ordeal. In October 2020, 13 Australian women on board a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Sydney were asked to leave their aircraft before being escorted to ambulances for an genital checks, supposedly carried out as staff tried to find the mother of a baby abandoned at the airport. Seven are now pursuing legal action against Qatar because they say they were left traumatised and received no personal apology or compensation. They will now also be lodging a formal complaint with the Australian National Contact Point for the OECD, which aims to provide “conciliation services” to resolve complaints against multinational businesses. “Even before they engaged our firm, this group of women wrote to the Qatari parties and received no response,” Sturzaker said.<br/>