Woman reveals shocking incident at Kingston airport

Rosheika Grant, STAR Writer

What was meant to be a routine return flight to Canada after spending time with her family in Jamaica, turned into a nightmare for Shanna-Kaye Cunningham.

Although the Jamaican-born woman told security officers she was menstruating, she was asked to undress fully while attempting to board a flight at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA).

Cunningham said on Tuesday, September 15, shortly after going through the security screening checkpoint, she was approached by a security guard who pat her down.

"While patting me down she told me to raise one leg at a time," recalled the 20-year-old.

Her underwear

After being approached by another officer who took information from her passport, Cunningham was accosted by two more guards.

"Two giant ladies told me to follow them into a room and as we entered, they stood against the door," she recalled.

The St Ann native was then told to remove all of her clothes including her underwear.

"I said to the lady, 'I'm on my period, do you still want me to strip?' She said, 'yes'," said Cunningham, who claims she was traumatised by the incident.

Although shocked, she followed the instructions.

"I pulled my pad along with my panties down to my knee with the blood on it, and me still dripping wet with blood," she revealed.

Cunningham said she had expected some sort of sympathy from the female officers instead of the treatment she received. She also accused the guards of profiling her because of how she looked as other persons were not searched in the manner she was.

Now reluctant

"I would have expected them to ask me from female to female if I was on my period and not to assume that because I am young and a female means I am carrying drugs," she said.

After living abroad for 12 years, Cunningham is now reluctant to come back to Jamaica. "It makes me not want to travel back there just in case they try it again."

A senior official from the NMIA sent an email apologising for the incident to Cunningham and promised she would be contacted a week later when investigations would be completed. That call has not yet materialised according to Cunningham.

Attempts to reach the management of NMIA for a comment proved futile.