The event “Age assessment of unaccompanied migrant children: promoting a human rights and multidisciplinary approach” is organised jointly by Italy’s National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP) and the Office of the Special Representative on Migration and Refugees of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE), in the framework of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers.
The Italian Protocol for age assessment of unaccompanied migrant children will be presented, as well as the results of a national survey on its implementation at regional level. Other national procedures on age assessment, from Austria and Greece, will also be presented and discussed so that European countries can exchange information and learn from each other´s experience in the implementation of age assessment systems.
“Although the assessment of age is not a purely medical provision, it is indeed of fundamental importance for the respect of the migrant's mental and physical health during his or her stay in the reception system. Therefore, this method should be activated as soon as possible whenever there are justified doubts about the real age of a migrant, just to protect the vulnerability of the minor. It is precisely for this reason that the procedure has to be done in a culturally appropriate way, so that the supposed minor does not refuse to undergo it“, said the Director General of INMP, Concetta Mirisola.
The Council of Europe´s expertise in this field includes recommendations, guidelines, training courses and a compilation of standards and good practices. In addition, the Council of Europe is currently in the final stages of adopting a Recommendation on Human Rights Principles and Guidelines on age assessment for children in the context of migration, which is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025).
“The importance of a human rights and multidisciplinary approach to age assessment remains a pressing need to protect the rights of vulnerable children in the context of migration and asylum. The use of common principles and guidelines across our member states will greatly contribute to upholding the human rights of children on the move”, said the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Leyla Kayacik.
The programme also includes presentations by relevant international organisations (EU Agency for Asylum, UNHCR and UNICEF) and civil society (Save the Children).
The speakers include:
- Roberto Speranza, Minister of Health, Italy
- Concetta Mirisola, Director General of INMP
- Leyla Kayacik, Special Representative on Migration and Refugees, Council of Europe
- Gianluca Alberini, Principal Director for the United Nations and Human Rights (Italian Presidency of the Committee of Minsters of the Council of Europe)
- Maria-Andriani Kostopoulou, Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF)
- Sandra Zampa, Rapporteur of the Italian law on Protection of Unaccompanied Migrants
Related material:
- Age assessment for children in migration A human rights-based approach. A guide for policy makers (2019)
- Your Rights in Age Assessment Procedures – information for children in migration (2019)
- Promoting child-friendly approaches in the area of migration: standards, guidance and current practices
- We are children, hear us out! Children speak out about age assessment (2019)
- Protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls (2019)
