Refugees seeking asylum in the UK may have to undergo an x-ray to verify their age.
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman said that she will introduce robust new checks to settle disputes over the age of those crossing the Channel on small boats.
According to The Independent:
The Home Office told The Independent that she was referring to proposals, floated by predecessor Priti Patel earlier this year, to use scientific methods to uncover adult migrants posing as children in the hope of being allowed to stay in the UK.
An expert panel commissioned by Ms Patel to look into options including X-rays, CT scans and MRI imaging is understood to be nearing the completion of its work.
Hannah Marwood, from Care4Calais, said her organisation had supported hundreds of children who the government had incorrectly taken through what is known as an age dispute and the cases had raised serious safeguarding concerns.
“The children we have worked with have been placed in accommodation with adults they do not know, which is a scary situation for any minor to be left in,” she said.
“Age disputes have a real impact on these young people’s mental health. They don’t understand why the government is challenging their age, it causes them great anxiety.”
She added: “The government’s plans for the Home Office to take over the age dispute process and to use methods such as X-rays have already been criticised by experts, including evidence that it will produce inaccurate results causing more harm to young refugees.
It’s time the government ditched the rhetoric and adopted a kinder, more compassionate approach to age disputes.”
A Home Office spokesperson stressed that there were no plans to force individuals to accept X-rays or other procedures.
But a paper setting out the proposals made clear that refusal “must be taken into account as damaging the person’s credibility” by those assessing whether they are lying about their age.
