A group of Australian women who were strip-searched and physically examined at Doha airport are filing a lawsuit against the authorities in Qatar.

The women were forced to get off the plane by armed guards and checked for whether they had given birth to a child after a baby was found in a bin at the airport in October 2020, The incident that had sparked an international outrage.

The women are seeking damages and allege assault, battery, trespass and false imprisonment by the Qatari government, Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority and Qatar Airways, according to a BBC report.

Damian Sturzaker, a lawyer for seven of the women, told the BBC they had been "met with a wall of silence" despite trying to engage with the Qatari authorities.

They want a formal apology from Qatar and the airport to change its procedures to make sure the incident does not happen again, Mr Sturzaker said.

Qatar later apologised and one airport official was handed a suspended jail sentence. But the women say their cases have since been ignored.

The examinations lasted about five minutes before they were escorted back to their flight. Several women reported the incident to police after landing in Australia.

The ugly incident has surfaced to haunt Qatar at a time when it is drawing up plans to host the 2022 football World Cup with a view to making its mark at the world stage.