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Age assessment
Age assessment is
a formal process by which authorities seek to establish the age, or range of
age, of a person or determine whether an individual is an adult or a child.[1]
The age of a person may be unclear where a
child has not been registered at birth, has lost their identity documents due
to migration or flight, or is for other reasons not in a position to provide
documentary evidence of their age. In these cases, age assessment procedures
might be initiated to determine if a person is an adult or a child and, in
consequence, to decide about specific entitlements and rights of the person, in
accordance with the person’s estimated age.
The
guardian represents and safeguards the child during age assessment and ensures
the rights and best interests of the child are respected at all times.
See also:
Level 4: Age and evolving capacities of the child
References:
EU training and learning platform for guardians of
unaccompanied children Chapter 3: Session 3.2. From arrival to durable solution: promoting the best interests of the child in decisions and proceedings
Handout 19: Age assessment procedure
Literature:
Council of Europe (2019),
Age assessment for children in migration
, A human rights-based approach, A guide for policy makers.
Council of Europe (2019), We are Children, Hear us out!
Children speak out about age
assessment,
Report on consultations with unccompanied children on the topic of age
assessment.
European
Asylum Support Office (2018), EASO Practical Guide on age assessment
, second edition, EASO Practical
Guide Series, March 2018.
FRA (European Agency for Fundamental Rights) (2018), Age assessment and fingerprinting of children in asylum procedures,
Minimum age requirements concerning children’s rights in the EU, Luxembourg, Publications Office of the
European Union (Publications Office).
FRA (European Agency for Fundamental Rights) (2014), Guardianship for children deprived of parental care, A
handbook to reinforce guardianship systems to cater for the specific needs of
child victims of trafficking, Luxembourg, Publications Office of the European Union (Publications
Office).
[1] European Asylum
Support Office (2014), Age assessment
practice in Europe, p. 57.