Age disputes and credibility of unaccompanied minors in the Danish asylum system
Author
Brassien, Christine Charlotte
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2017
Pages
60
Abstract
En stigende andel af verdens flygtninge er uledsagede mindreårige (børn under 18 år uden forældre eller værge). Alder udløser særlige rettigheder i asylsystemet, og nogle unge asylansøgere forsøger derfor at blive opfattet som mindreårige. Det har gjort aldersvurdering til en fast del af sagsbehandlingen. Samtidig har uledsagede mindreårige i stigende grad svært ved at bevise troværdigheden af deres asylforklaring. I Danmark hentes den vigtigste dokumentation for troværdighed i sager om uledsagede mindreårige gennem aldersvurdering. Denne procedure omfatter lægelige undersøgelser af fysisk modenhed, knogleudvikling og tænders udvikling. Radiologiske metoder (fx røntgen) er dog omdiskuterede på tværs af fagområder, både hvad angår deres videnskabelige holdbarhed og deres evne til at fastslå en præcis kronologisk alder. Med et strukturelt blik analyserer afhandlingen sammenhængen mellem alderskonflikter, aldersvurderingsprocedurer og troværdighed i det danske asylsystem.
An increasing share of the world’s refugees are unaccompanied minors (children under 18 who arrive without parents or a legal guardian). Being under 18 grants specific rights in the asylum system, which has led some young asylum seekers to present themselves as minors. As a result, age assessment has become a routine part of asylum procedures. At the same time, unaccompanied minors are increasingly struggling to establish the credibility of their asylum claims. In Denmark, the main evidence used to judge credibility in such cases comes from age assessment. The procedure includes medical examinations of physical maturity, skeletal development, and dental development. Radiological methods (for example, X-rays) are, however, contested across academic fields, both for their scientific validity and their ability to determine a precise chronological age. Taking a structural perspective, the thesis analyzes how age disputes, age assessment procedures, and credibility are connected in the Danish asylum system.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords
Documents