Age determination in asylum seekers: physicians should not be implicated
Every year asylum seekers come to Europe. Around 4 of these are, according to their testimony, minors. Because the regulations for admitting or refusing to enter the country are different between minors and adults, governments are eager to ascertain the age of the asylum seekers who testify to be minor. The help of physicians is sought to determine the age of these individuals. Date of birth and chronological age but also biological age are determinants of how individuals can participate in, or are treated by, the society in which they live. The fact that evidence of age is fundamental to the realisation of rights and needs in society is recognised in Article 7 of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that "The child shall be registered immediately after birth" [18] Unfortunately, it has been estimated that around 51 million births go unregistered each year in developing countries, mainly in South Asia and sub Saharan Africa [19] Even when a birth has been registered, the individual may lose the documentation and have no way of replacing it, particularly in times of upheaval such as war and social unrest. The unfortunate geographical coincidences of incomplete birth registration rates, wars and poverty mean that refugees and asylum seekers often possess no evidence of age. Worldwide, in 2008, there were approximately 827,000 asylum seekers, 44 of whomwere children [21] Unaccompanied or separated children formed 4 of asylum claims. Age is a key determinant of how an individual is handled in such circumstances and may be the deciding factor in the success or failure of an asylum application. For children, it also defines access to education and healthcare. Three important aspects must be considered regarding age determination in cases when the age of an asylum seeker is in doubt.
European Journal of Pediatrics