The British Home Office has been accused of attempting to deport unaccompanied 16-year-olds to Rwanda in the first wave of asylum seekers from elsewhere in the world to be sent to the east African nation later this month.
Charities have identified what they described as a “worrying pattern” of children being classed as adults by Home Office age assessments, raising fears that they could be among those deported 7,000km to Rwanda.
One individual who said they were under 18 years old was placed in detention awaiting potential deportation to Rwanda and only released at the end of last month, following intervention from lawyers.
Photo: AP
Another two out of the 70 asylum seekers identified by one charity as having received warnings of imminent removal and currently held in immigration detention centers say they are 16, but their age is contested by the Home Office.
“We’ve got two age disputes, but the Home Office has still issued notices of removal,“ said Clare Moseley, founder of the Care4Calais charity, which is supporting the 70 and said legal challenges have been launched to help safeguard the “contested” children.
The anti-trafficking charity Love146 UK said several councils had flagged concerns about Home Office age assessments, stating that some children under 18 who had recently arrived by small boat across the English Channel were receiving a “standard” age of 23, meaning they became potentially eligible for deportation to Rwanda.
Love146 UK campaign manager Daniel Sohege said: “We are seeing children as young as 14 being incorrectly age-assessed as 23. The number of children we have seen who have just had 1999 put down as their date of birth when they are clearly under 18 is highly concerning and putting young people at risk.”
Lauren Starkey, a social worker for the charity, added: “It is not within the realm of possibility that anyone, especially someone trained in child protection, could look at the children we have seen and believe they are in their 20s.”
However, the Home Office said that “nobody will be removed if it is unsafe or inappropriate for them” and denies that unaccompanied children would be relocated to Africa.
British Home Secretary Priti Patel last week announced that the first deportation flight to Rwanda would leave on Tuesday next week, although lawyers believe it is unlikely to happen because of legal challenges against the controversial move.
Some believe the date was chosen simply because it comes less than a week before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to arrive in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, for a Commonwealth heads of government meeting, where he hopes to highlight the success of his Rwanda deportation plan.
Enver Solomon, chief executive officer of the Refugee Council charity, said: “The process that the government is adopting shows total disregard for the welfare and well-being of very vulnerable people, effectively treating them with contempt.”
Solomon urged the British government to immediately rethink its plans.
Among those served removal notices by the Home Office, increased mental health issues are being documented by charities.
Moseley said that a “high proportion” of the 70 people her group has identified have reported suicide attempts or self-harm.
A five-day hunger strike among a cohort of those threatened with deportation ended on Friday, although the Home Office has not altered its position.
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