- .Two-thirds of ‘child’ refugees quizzed about real age last year were adults
- .In 12 months to September last year, 65 per cent found to be aged over 18
- .Figures show scale of how adult migrants try to deceive the UK authorities
- .They emerged after Tory MPs raised questions about ages of 28 refugees
A third group of 'child' refugees are on their way to Britain after being loaded into a minivan in Saint Omer, in Calais, France
A third group of 'child' refugees are on their way to Britain after being loaded into a minivan in France.
Pictures of those being bussed over appeared to show all were male once again, as the group boarded a vehicle in Saint Omer ahead of their journey from Calais to the UK.
It comes as the row over the age of migrants arriving intensified with the Home Office revelation that nearly two-thirds of child refugees quizzed about their real age last year were found to be adults.
In the 12 months to September last year, 65 per cent were found to be aged over 18.
The figures show the scale of how adult migrants try to deceive the UK authorities in a bid to be granted sanctuary.
They emerged after Tory MPs raised questions about the ages of 28 refugees brought to the UK this week from the Calais Jungle.
Yesterday, one migrant in particular, wearing a blue hoodie with stubble on his chin, was rated by a facial recognition program as having the features of a 38-year-old.
He was one of 14 to be bussed to Croydon from the notorious Jungle camp shanty town before it is demolished by the French authorities.
They followed 14 who arrived on Monday, as Britain works to reunite unaccompanied youngsters from war-torn countries with family members in the UK.
A Home Office spokesman refused to confirm how many child refugees were due to arrive in Britain today, or whether any were female.
Safe Passage, the migrant arm of charity Citizen UK, has been identifying children in the camp
Today a group of child refugees were loaded into a minivan ahead of their journey from Calais
All smiles: Child migrants are loaded into a van in Saint Omer ahead of their journey to Britain
He added: 'We work closely with the French authorities and their partner agencies to ensure all those who come to the UK from the camps in Calais are eligible under the Dublin regulations.
'All individuals are referred to the UK authorities by the France terre d'asile (FTDA) and are then interviewed by French and UK officials.
'Where credible and clear documentary evidence of age is not available, criteria including physical appearance and demeanour are used as part of the interview process to assess age.'
Meanwhile, official figures show that in the year ending September 2015, some 590 asylum applicants had their age disputed. Of those, 574 had an age assessment – with 371 were found to be adults.
Since 2006 there have been 11,121 age disputes. Of those, 4,828 – or 43 per cent – were found to have been adults.
Safe Passage, the migrant arm of charity Citizen UK, has been identifying children in the Jungle. Sources say it insists on seeing a document which states the names, ages and addresses of their relatives plus evidence such as family pictures.
Migrants are then interviewed by a psychologist who reports to the Home Office, which conducts more checks before they are allowed to cross the Channel.
However, it has emerged the Home Office has no way of verifying the migrants’ ages before they come to Britain, stoking concerns about adults posing as children to take advantage of the scheme.
Officials insist the migrants have undergone rigorous interviews and document checks to establish they are aged under 18.
But it has emerged that this is simply a screening process where they are verified as a child based on their 'physical appearance' and 'demeanour', with social workers signing off an 'age assessment'.
A Home Office spokesman admitted that routine medical tests, such as checking dental records, have not been carried out because it could be 'intrusive'.
They added that children may appear older 'because war has toughened them up'.
Britain is taking in dozens of youngsters from war zones including Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan.
As unaccompanied children, they are entitled to move to the UK under EU asylum law if they have families in Britain.
Figures: In the 12 months to September last year, 65 per cent were found to be aged over 18
It comes as it was revealed nearly two-thirds of those quizzed about their real age last year were found to be adults, according to the Home Office
But the Home Office does not begin rigorous verification of their claimed ages until after they arrive in Britain, charity workers have told the Mail.
Until then, UK officials largely rely on checks made by charities working in the Jungle.
But after the blue-clad migrant’s photograph was widely published online yesterday, some wondered about his age.
Analysis of his picture by Microsoft’s face recognition program How Old Do I Look? suggested he had the facial features of a 38-year-old, although the software company cautioned it was just an estimate.
And Dr Ross Perry, medical director of the Harley Street skin clinic Cosmedics, said: ‘It is very difficult to assess someone’s age based on just one photograph, but I would guess he is late 30s to early 40s.
'The wrinkles around the eyes are the tell-tale sign, and the loss of volume in the cheeks.
This is just a joke. Some of these people are clearly not children, they’re not even young men
Tory MP David Davies
'He doesn’t look like a child. But then if he has been living in a war zone, it could well have aged him prematurely, and it is impossible to know without meeting him.'
As he left the immigration centre in Croydon last night, the migrant in the blue hoodie was clutching a piece of paper entitled: ‘Application for biometric resident permit.’
The 14 youngsters were taken to temporary foster homes, where they will stay until social workers have interviewed their British-based relatives to ensure their homes are safe for them to live in.
Last night Tory MP David Davies said: ‘This is just a joke. Some of these people are clearly not children, they’re not even young men.
'This one has got lines around his eyes, lines on his face and what appears to be flecks of grey in his hair.
'There is no way of knowing if someone is a child. We could end up causing even more misery if we are not careful. We should invite anyone who wants to come to the UK to take dental tests.'
Mr Davies was condemned by dentists after calling for tests on teeth to verify the age of child migrants.
The British Dental Association (BDA) said demands by the Monmouth MP for testing on those heading to Britain from the Jungle refugee camp were 'inappropriate and unethical'.
A third batch of 'child' refugees are on their way to Britain after getting into a van in France
Two children, one in a black jacket and another in a light blue hooded top, are pictured left arriving in the UK from a migrant camp yesterday. Right is a migrant involved in the age row
Mr Davies, chairman of the Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee, said mandatory dental checks would reassure the public the system was not being exploited.
But a BDA spokesman said: 'We are vigorously opposed to the use of dental X-rays to determine whether asylum seekers have reached 18.
'It's not only an inaccurate method for assessing age, but it is both inappropriate and unethical to take radiographs of people when there is no health benefit for them.
'X-rays taken for a clinically justified reason must not be used for another purpose without the patient's informed consent, without coercion and in full knowledge of how the radiograph will be used and by whom.'
Doctors of the World, which works in Calais, condemned Mr Davies's stance as 'unethical, inappropriate and divisive' and called for disciplinary action to be taken against the MP.
Leigh Daynes, the charity's executive director, said: 'It's as unethical as it is inappropriate to expect healthcare workers to conduct tests on patients for immigration enforcement purposes.
'Health staff are not border guards; and in any event such tests have been shown to be unreliable.'
She added: 'Such is the seriousness of Mr Davies's unethical and divisive remarks that we are asking his party chairman to consider disciplinary action.'
Mr Davies defended his stance, saying the authorities should not be 'naive' about the issue of adults trying to get into the UK.
We are vigorously opposed to the use of dental X-rays to determine whether asylum seekers have reached 18
British Dental Association
He said refugees who had been through an ordeal to reach the UK would not be concerned about having their age checked.
'We must not be naive about this. It's no good Lily Allen turning up with tears in her eyes and all the rest of it - we need to be quite hard-nosed here,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
'People are desperate, I understand that, and they will say what they need to say to get in.
'When I was in the camp in Calais there were caravans with notices on saying "Come here, we will coach you in what to say to get into the UK".'
He added: 'People in Britain, I think, want to help children but we don't want to be taken for a free ride either by people who seem to have got to the front of the queue even though they clearly look, in some cases, a lot older than 18.'
Mr Davies also said he did not accept that it was 'intrusive' to take an X-ray of a migrant.
The Jungle refugee camp could be closed imminently after a French court rejected an appeal from aid groups to delay the clearance.
French authorities are expected to empty the migrant camp in Calais in the coming weeks and dismantle it by the start of winter.
A Lille court has rejected a request from aid groups to postpone the closure, arguing that authorities are not ready to relocate its residents.
Charity groups warned that many of the migrants do not want to stay in France and may set up camp elsewhere to continue trying to cross the English Channel to Britain.
The French interior and housing ministers welcomed the court's ruling and said the camp should be dismantled before winter sets in.
No comments:
Post a Comment