Children exempted from undergoing ‘Full body X-RAY Scans’ at airports

Amongst growing privacy concerns, authorities at the Manchester Airport have decided that young children under the age of 18 will not be subjected to full-body scans that produce naked images. These full body scanners were installed after a terrorist was arrested with explosives strapped to his leg on a US-bound flight on Christmas Day.

Though these machines were installed to check for weapons & explosives concealed within the human clothing but the X-ray images generated by these machines provide a clear outline of a passenger’s internal organs. Inspite of the fact that the images generated by these scanners cannot be stored or retrieved in any form & are not even analyzed by humans; female passengers have strongly objected to such initiatives.

In a recent incident which caused much uproar in Europe, two Muslim women refused to undergo a full-body scan at the Manchester Airport (find latest flights to Manchester). They thought it prudent to cancel their flight rather than submit to the X-ray scan. Human rights groups have strongly backed the decision taken by these women & indicate that this incident should not be treated as a stray one but is a sign of things to come.

Religious groups have claimed that subjecting Muslim passengers to such kind of scrutiny goes against their religious sentiments. Civil right activists have been enraged ever since these machines became operational & intend to challenge this decision at appropriate international forums.

However, law enforcement agencies remain adamant and continue to remain unmindful of the concerns of human rights activists. They contend that the images generated by these machines are not sexual in nature and exempting certain classes of individuals undermines the security of all passengers. With terrorism threat levels raised to an all-time high in Europe, the pros and cons of these scanners have become a hotly debated issue all over the world.