Women Detained, Stripped for Involuntary Medical Check at Doha Airport

Sardonicat

skooterblue2 wrote: »

If you are in "those" places, their country their rules. If you dont want to take a chance then stay at home. No its not impressive.

Yeah. And if we don't want to get sexually assaulted, don't go out alone at night and don't wear those clothes and don't stay with that abusive guy. We've only ever got ourselves to blame when our bodies are invaded.

ohnonotgmail

skooterblue2 wrote: »

If you are in "those" places, their country their rules. If you dont want to take a chance then stay at home. No its not impressive.

Sexual assault is sexual assault. I doubt you would be so laissez faire about it if was your mother.

suicide_circus

volchitsa wrote: »

Racism and misogyny.

Here you're describing the authorities in Doha I presume?

skooterblue2

Sardonicat wrote: »

Yeah. And if we don't want to get sexually assaulted, don't go out alone at night and don't wear those clothes and don't stay with that abusive guy. We've only ever got ourselves to blame when our bodies are invaded.

Maybe you should more grateful for the rights you have in the western world. Imagine being born out there and your will is controlled by your 8 year old brother who has more authority in the household than you. Yet you complain about me looking at you crooked.

skooterblue2

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Sexual assault is sexual assault. I doubt you would be so laissez faire about it if was your mother.

My mother would not be in Doha to start with or any other muslim country. Qatar is a muslim country, am I right?

So "if" she was there "and" while it was happening, shure if "ifs" and "ands" were pots and pans we would have no need for tinkers. You are right this would not happen in a western country.

Sardonicat

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Maybe you should more grateful for the rights you have in the western world. Imagine being born out there and your will is controlled by your 8 year old brother who has more authority in the household than you. Yet you complain about me looking at you crooked.

I've never complained about you at all. You claim women should not go there and in the next post talk about women living there. What are they supposed to do avoid these types of violations? Oh yes, I'm so, so grateful for being "allowed ' to preserve my bodily integrity by law. Thank you.

volchitsa

suicide_circus wrote: »

Here you're describing the authorities in Doha I presume?

Yes. As well as posters here minimising the gravity of the assault.

volchitsa

skooterblue2 wrote: »

My mother would not be in Doha to start with or any other muslim country. Qatar is a muslim country, am I right?

So "if" she was there "and" while it was happening, shure if "ifs" and "ands" were pots and pans we would have no need for tinkers. You are right this would not happen in a western country.

If one of her children moved to Australia and she was going there to see them, she might well find herself in transit in Doha, like these women were. It's quite hard to avoid transiting by any Muslim country on a long haul flight from Europe to Asia or the Pacific. Are you saying this is actually something women need to do when booking a flight to Aus or NZ?

ohnonotgmail

suicide_circus wrote: »

Here you're describing the authorities in Doha I presume?

it applies to a couple of posters here as well with attitudes that deserve bans.

skooterblue2

volchitsa wrote: »

If one of her children moved to Australia and she was going there to see them, she might well find herself in transit in Doha, like these women were. It's quite hard to avoid transiting by any Muslim country on a long haul flight from Europe to Asia or the Pacific. Are you saying this is actually something women need to do when booking a flight to Aus or NZ?

once again "ifs" and "and", my mother wouldnt because none of us are over there. Their country their rules. Maybe you should be more grateful for the rights you are afforded by Western society.

Sardonicat

skooterblue2 wrote: »

once again "ifs" and "and", my mother wouldnt because none of us are over there. Their country their rules. Maybe you should be more grateful for the rights you are afforded by Western society.

What makes you think we aren't grateful? You come across as thinking we have a few too many.

charlietheminxx

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Maybe you should be more grateful for the rights you are afforded by Western society.

Nobody should have to be grateful for not being sexually assaulted, are you actually seriously trying to make that point?

skooterblue2

Sardonicat wrote: »

I've never complained about you at all. You claim women should not go there and in the next post talk about women living there. What are they supposed to do avoid these types of violations? Oh yes, I'm so, so grateful for being "allowed ' to preserve my bodily integrity by law. Thank you.

No problem at all. Only too glad to have you emancipated. I never said you should not go there, I said you go there you take your chance under THEIR law. Their women, their subjects, it is not my place and nor would I in their country. I just observe.

volchitsa

skooterblue2 wrote: »

once again "ifs" and "and", my mother wouldnt because none of us are over there. Their country their rules. Maybe you should be more grateful for the rights you are afforded by Western society.

The point is that it's not just women who choose to go and live or wirk there: lots of women find themselves travelling through such a country on the way to another one and that up until now our government nor anybody else has ever thought to warn them that they should expect to be sexually assaulted by the authorities there while in transit. DO you check up on the laws of every country you transit through?

volchitsa

volchitsa wrote: »

If one of her children moved to Australia and she was going there to see them, she might well find herself in transit in Doha, like these women were. It's quite hard to avoid transiting by any Muslim country on a long haul flight from Europe to Asia or the Pacific. Are you saying this is actually something women need to do when booking a flight to Aus or NZ?

That’s me you’re describing. My girls are in Australia so I’ve done this stopover a good few times with my husband and on my own. I have never felt afraid being in that airport nor would I have imagined what happened to those women could actually happen. Up until now.

Flight to Heathrow and 17 hour non stop flight to Perth for me from now on.

And Qatar will be hosting the World Cup in a few years? Female fans stay away as this is not going to be a carefree holiday no matter what their advertising campaigns are saying.

volchitsa

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

That’s me you’re describing. My girls are in Australia so I’ve done this stopover a good few times with my husband and on my own. I have never felt afraid being in that airport nor would I have imagined what happened to those women could actually happen. Up until now.

Flight to Heathrow and 17 hour non stop flight to Perth for me from now on.

And Qatar will be hosting the World Cup in a few years? Female fans stay away as this is not going to be a carefree holiday no matter what their advertising campaigns are saying.

Well exactly. I found myself in Istanbul and then (I think) Bishkek at some ungodly hour on my way to visit family in Australia a few years back. First I'd ever heard of Bishkek was when I saw it on the flight ticket but it was a matter of getting a cheapish ticket at an expensive time. I never thought to decide which stopovers to choose according to what their laws said.

But I'd never go the UAE or any other Middle Eastern country for a holiday. I've always been a bit perplexed at Irish people doing that.

440Hertz

That’s the problem though with many countries with abysmal human rights records. On the surface of it everything is shiny, modern and normal, until you fall foul of some scenario that displeases the state.

As a gay man, I’d be extremely wary of going through certain countries, never mind visiting and I actively avoid spending money on products or services from places that would treat me as some kind of subhuman. It’s just the unfortunate reality of the world we live in and frankly, the more we fail to criticise it, the worse it gets.

I’ve often heard people singing the praises of various ultra conservative places in the Middle East, based entirely on experiencing a bubble of money & exceptional privilege of never having to have actually dealt with the regime that runs the place.

Seem a lot of the world is more concerned with cheap flights, oil wealth and shiny things than human rights.

What happened at that airport is totally unacceptable but, that’s what you’re supporting by turning a blind eye to it and just focusing on the shiny shiny oil wealth.

skooterblue2

volchitsa wrote: »

The point is that it's not just women who choose to go and live or wirk there: lots of women find themselves travelling through such a country on the way to another one and that up until now our government nor anybody else has ever thought to warn them that they should expect to be sexually assaulted by the authorities there while in transit. DO you check up on the laws of every country you transit through?

Actually the DoFA does issue warning of countries you should be aware of.
I have been abroad and I was in situation where I felt I needed to complain about the quality of whiskey in the night club (it was clear to me it was knocked off). I considered my position. Nobody at home knew I was in that night club, the bouncers looked like they were at tryouts for the mafia, the probability of being taken out and given a hiding was fairly high. I reconsidered my position. I stayed quiet and drank Heineken long necks and went home safe and sound afterwards.

Its not always about the laws sometimes its about the culture. There is very litte the DoFA can do over there in that timeline. You have to be aware of your place in society and who you are dealing with.

volchitsa

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Actually the DoFA does issue warning of countries you should be aware of.
I have been abroad and I was in situation where I felt I needed to complain about the quality of whiskey in the night club (it was clear to me it was knocked off). I considered my position. Nobody at home knew I was in that night club, the bouncers looked like they were at tryouts for the mafia, the probability of being taken out and given a hiding was fairly high. I reconsidered my position. I stayed quiet and drank Heineken long necks and went home safe and sound afterwards.

Its not always about the laws sometimes its about the culture. There is very litte the DoFA can do over there in that timeline. You have to be aware of your place in society and who you are dealing with.

No, you're confusing a stay in the country with merely being in transit. In the international section of the airport, slightly different laws apply. That's why you don't need a visa to transit through some countries, for instance.

Sardonicat

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Actually the DoFA does issue warning of countries you should be aware of.
I have been abroad and I was in situation where I felt I needed to complain about the quality of whiskey in the night club (it was clear to me it was knocked off). I considered my position. Nobody at home knew I was in that night club, the bouncers looked like they were at tryouts for the mafia, the probability of being taken out and given a hiding was fairly high. I reconsidered my position. I stayed quiet and drank Heineken long necks and went home safe and sound afterwards.

Its not always about the laws sometimes its about the culture. There is very litte the DoFA can do over there in that timeline. You have to be aware of your place in society and who you are dealing with.

So women have to be aware if they are flying to Australia they may be sexual assaulted on the way?

440Hertz

Avoiding transiting certain countries is absolutely possibly. It just means planning your journey a bit differently. If more voted with their bookings, alternative routes would grow.

skooterblue2

volchitsa wrote: »

But I'd never go the UAE or any other Middle Eastern country for a holiday. I've always been a bit perplexed at Irish people doing that.

Affordable housing, 5% VAT, 0% income tax, Zero tolerance to drug addiction, low crime rate. Well paid, employer paid health insurance and private schools, cheap cars and petrol. Whats not to love? Their country their laws.

volchitsa

Sardonicat wrote: »

So women have to be aware if they are flying to Australia they may be sexual assaulted on the way?

And shouldn't expect any sympathy if they are. A bit like illegal (female) migrants, many of whom are raped en route, I suppose the answer is that they should have just stayed at home. FFS

donegal_man

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Actually the DoFA does issue warning of countries you should be aware of.
I have been abroad and I was in situation where I felt I needed to complain about the quality of whiskey in the night club (it was clear to me it was knocked off). I considered my position. Nobody at home knew I was in that night club, the bouncers looked like they were at tryouts for the mafia, the probability of being taken out and given a hiding was fairly high. I reconsidered my position. I stayed quiet and drank Heineken long necks and went home safe and sound afterwards.

Its not always about the laws sometimes its about the culture. There is very litte the DoFA can do over there in that timeline. You have to be aware of your place in society and who you are dealing with.

In fairness you're comparing apples and oranges. There's a massive difference in choosing to visit a dodgy nightclub and passing through an airport.

volchitsa

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Affordable housing, 5% VAT, 0% income tax, Zero tolerance to drug addiction, low crime rate. Well paid, employer paid health insurance and private schools, cheap cars and petrol. Whats not to love? Their country their laws.

You seem to be all mixed up here. You don't get much use out most of those in a week's holidays. Going to Spain or Greece would be cheaper.

Amirani

440Hertz wrote: »

Avoiding transiting certain countries is absolutely possibly. It just means planning your journey a bit differently. If more voted with their bookings, alternative routes would grow.

You don't always have a choice in where you end up. Airlines can change where you transit after you've booked, this has happened to me a number of times. Anyone who flies long haul regularly enough will likely have it happen.

skooterblue2

Sardonicat wrote: »

So women have to be aware if they are flying to Australia they may be sexual assaulted on the way?

Their country their laws. You want to go back packing to Kandahar, be my guest. You are a big girl, you know the benefits and the dangers. I am not responsible for your choices or their actions.

440Hertz

volchitsa wrote: »

And shouldn't expect any sympathy if they are. A bit like illegal (female) migrants, many of whom are raped en route, I suppose the answer is that they should have just stayed at home. FFS

Nobody should expect anything like that to happen anywhere, but it did and the only significant power we have is to spend our money on alternative routes and lobby the governments at either end of that journey - Germany & Australia to put diplomatic pressure on.

At the end of the day, they will make a statement & nothing will happen because the power is money and, perhaps other than a couple of superpowers, or the EU acting collectively and against vested business interests (unlikely) nothing will be done.

So vote with your credit card and don’t endorse regimes that do stuff like this. There are alternative routes.

If you want to host a major international transit hub, don’t mass sexually assault a plane load of passengers!

skooterblue2

volchitsa wrote: »

You seem to be all mixed up here. You don't get much use out most of those in a week's holidays. Going to Spain or Greece would be cheaper.

Yes I would!! Being able to be in a Capital city and not have to see a junkie would be priceless considering the filth they leave. l would enjoy tax free shopping. I certainly wouldnt like to go to Greece and Spain both over hyped and over done destinations. The original culture is long gone

Multipass

In Qatar it is illegal for an unmarried woman to be pregnant. It was most likely an employee, and hopefully this incident will make the world more aware of the barbaric laws of this region, especially as applied to their ‘guest workers’/slaves.