Home Office used Gillette shaving report to assess migrant’s age, judge finds

The follow got here to gentle within the case of an Afghan asylum seeker who challenged a Dwelling Workplace choice that he was 25 – with a choose finally ruling that he was 16.

The unnamed asylum seeker arrived within the UK on a small boat in October 2021, having been rescued when the vessel obtained into issue within the English Channel.

Dwelling Workplace assessors determined that he was an grownup upon his arrival, however a choose has criticised their method saying it relied on out-of-date sources and a questionable methodology.

The ruling, issued earlier this month, discovered that Dwelling Workplace officers referred partially “to a report from Gillette in respect of the age at which people begin shaving”, alongside an “odd” article from Forbes journal which seemed to be associated to US enterprise practices.

“My view is that the references to those doubtful articles and their use to query the applicant’s credibility, undermine the report as a complete,” dominated Higher Tribunal Choose Owens.

After scrutinising the person’s Afghan identification card, which Dwelling Workplace officers didn’t consider was real, the choose discovered it was genuine and he was a minor when he entered the UK.

The listening to was instructed that the applicant grew up in a struggle zone within the province of Kapisa and skilled trauma together with his father being killed within the crossfire between the Taliban and authorities.

His older brother was additionally killed, whereas the asylum seeker additionally suffered “abuse” throughout his journey to the UK, being “overwhelmed” on multiple event.

New strategies for age assessments will likely be launched by the Dwelling Workplace from 2024, together with x-rays of bones and tooth, which the division hopes will assist verify migrants’ true ages after they arrive within the UK.

Talking to the Instances newspaper, Enver Solomon, chief government of the Refugee Council, stated the case uncovered the complexity of assessing a person’s age.

“Distinguishing between adults and kids just isn’t one thing that may be executed shortly; it takes time and experience to make the appropriate choice,” he stated.

“However the actuality is that poor high quality choices are leading to far too many youngsters being wrongly age-assessed and put in danger.

“We all know from our work that this has dreadful ramifications for these youngsters who merely need to be protected and are then left alone with nobody to guard them.”

A Dwelling Workplace spokesperson stated it was “very important” to “take away incentives for adults to faux to be youngsters so as to stay within the UK.”

“We’re strengthening the age verification course of by the Nationwide Age Evaluation Board, introducing scientific assessments, equivalent to x-rays, and measures below the Unlawful Migration Act which is able to assist guarantee assessments are strong and additional shield youngsters,” stated the spokesperson.

“We’re contemplating the judgement fastidiously to know the place any enhancements will be made to future assessments.”