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Some 100 nurses at an Italian-run Emergency Hospital at Goderich on the outskirts of the Sierra Leone capital went on an open-ended strike Thursday over what they claimed was racial and sexual abuse.
Waving placards which read "Don't touch our breasts", "Stop racism" and "Workers are not slaves", the strikers accused hospital management of instructing body searches on all workers to curb thefts.
Head of the nurses' union Christiana Kallon accused the Italian management of "constantly putting us under degrading conditions ... giving authority to security guards to search our panties and breasts for stolen drugs."
"What broke the camel's back was when orders were given for panties and breasts of all junior staff to be searched before we leave the compound," she said.
"We were molested to such a point that some of our colleagues were put in the nude to be searched for what they say were their material resources including fuel.
"They think our breasts are meant to pump in fuel!" she blasted.
Hospital coordinator Merja Hewitto promised to investigate the claims and said that "anyone found wanting will be disciplined accordingly."
She admitted it was normal routine for workers at the hospital to be searched but said it was always carried out in a respectable manner.
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AFP 101911 GMT 08 06
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