Singaporean Mother Forced to Prove She Can Lactate By German Airport Security

February 1, 2017

A Singaporean mother is considering legal action against German airport officers after they put her through a “humiliating” experience.

Thirty-three-year-old Singaporean Gayathiri Bose was stopped in Frankfurt Airport before she could board her plane to Paris last week after German airport security held her for questioning. Apparently, the X-ray machine revealed that she was carrying with her a breast pump which seemed normal if you’re a mother. But officers grew suspicious because she was without her baby.

“[They had] an incredulous tone. ‘You are breastfeeding? Then where is your baby? Your baby is in Singapore?’” Bose said.

According to a report from the BBC, the security officers took Bose’s passport and then led to a room where she was further interrogated by a female security officer.

The Singaporean mother explained in full detailed what happened during her interrogation which she could only describe as “humiliating.” Bose said that the female officer asked her to prove by “hand-expressing” that she’s a lactating mother and although it was against her will, she complied.

“I was just in shock, I was going through the motions. I was all by myself as well, and wasn’t sure what would happen to me if they decided to make trouble for me,” Bose said. “It was only when I came out of the room that I began to slowly understand what had just happened. I just started to cry, I was terribly upset.”

After 45 minutes of being questioned, Bose was given back her passport and was able to board her flight to Paris. But naturally, Bose said that she was “terribly upset” because of what had happened.

However, the Frankfurt airport police denied that such procedures were done and the incident that Bose stated was not part of the usual protocol, The Star noted.

“If a suspected explosive is detected at an air safety control point, the baggage and the person must be searched. The measures you have described for a breastfeeding mother are clearly not included,” said Frankfurt Airport German police unit spokesperson Christian Altenhofen.

Bose, who works for a transport company, is weighing the possibility of filing legal complaints about the airport incident.

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