Legal basis in national law Saxony,112 North Rhine-Westphalia,113 RhinelandPalatinate114 and Saxony-Anhalt115 do not in principle detain unaccompanied children pending deportation; neither does Hamburg, unless they have committed a criminal offence.116 3.2. National laws banning detention below a certain age Another approach that certain Member States use to reduce the risk of arbitrary detention of children is setting, by law or policy, a minimum age under which a child cannot be detained. This is usually done for unaccompanied children, although Germany also has examples of policies concerning children accompanied by a parent. For example, in Schleswig-Holstein, mothers raising a child who is less than 10 years of age are not detained pending deportation; in Thuringia, single parents raising a child who is less than 7 years of age are not detained pending deportation.117 Setting a minimum detention age is more common for unaccompanied children. At least five EU Member States have legislation to this effect and some German Länder 112 Germany, Lower-Saxony Ministry of the Interior and Sport (Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Inneres und Sport) ´Runderlass des Niedersächsischen Ministeriums für Inneres und Sport vom 23. September 2014 Rechtliche Hinweise und verfahrensmäßige Vorgaben zur Organisation und Durchführung des Rückführungsund Rücküberstellungsvollzugs (Abschiebung) und zur Beantragung von Abschiebungshaft´, September 2014, p.23.. 113 Germany, Federal German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) (2012), ´Drucksache 17/10597´, question 36, p. 65, 5 September 2012;Richtlinien für die Abschiebungshaft im Land Nordrhein-Westfalen (Abschiebungshaftrichtlinien - AHaftRL) 5c). 114 Germany, Federal German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) (2016), ´Drucksache 18/7196´, question 16, p. 80, 6 January 2016. 115 Ibid. 116 Ibid. 117 Germany, Ministerium für Justiz, Gleichstellung und Integration des Landes Schleswig-Holstein, Erlass des Landesamt für Ausländerangelegenheiten, Regelungen zur Durchführung der Abschiebungshaft, 2 May 2012, at 4.3.1. Germany, Federal German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) (2016), ´Drucksache 18/7196´, question 16, p. 80, 6 January 2016. have similar policies (e.g. 16 years old in SchleswigHolstein118 and Thuringia119). • In Austria120 and Latvia,121 unaccompanied children below the age of 14 years may not be taken into detention pending removal. • In Austria, the law stipulates that children below 16 years old must be kept in alternatives to detention, unless unless certain facts justify the assumption that the purpose of migration detention may not be achieved by this alternative.122 • Unaccompanied children below the age of 15 years may not be taken into detention pending removal in Finland123 and Poland.124 • In the Czech Republic, unaccompanied children can be detained only if they are 15 years old. Even then, this must be in exceptional circumstances – e.g. if there is a reasonable risk that they could threaten state security or could seriously disrupt public order.125 • Hungary does not in principle permit immigration detention of unaccompanied children. In practice, if they apply for asylum and are aged over 14, they are transferred to the closed transit facilities at the border with Serbia where they are deprived of liberty.126 This suggests a similar situation to the 2010 FRA report on detention of third-country nationals in return procedures, when at least six Member States had established age limitations.127 118 Germany, Ministerium für Justiz, Gleichstellung und Integration des Landes Schleswig-Holstein, Erlass des Landesamt für Ausländerangelegenheiten, Regelungen zur Durchführung der Abschiebungshaft, 2 May 2012, at 4.3.1. 119 Germany, Federal German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) (2016), ´Drucksache 18/7196´, question 16, p. 80, 6 January 2016. 120 Austria, Aliens Police Act (Fremdenpolizeigesetz), Section 76(1) APA (FPG). 121 Latvia, Immigration Law (Imigrācijas likums), Section 51(1). 122 Austria, Bundesgesetz über die Ausübung der Fremdenpolizei, die Ausstellung von Dokumenten für Fremde und die Erteilung von Einreisetitel (Fremdenpolizeigesetz 2005 - FPG), Section 77 (1). 123 Finland, Aliens Act (Ulkomaalaislaki/ Utlänningslag) 301/2004, Section 122(3) prohibits the detention of UAC under the age of 15 (as amended1st of July 2015) Aliens Act (Ulkomaalaislaki/ Utlänningslag) 301/2004. 124 Poland, Act on foreigners (Ustawa z dnia 13 grudnia 2013 r. o cudzoziemcach), 13 December 2013, Article 397 (3). 125 Czech Republic, Section 74 (1) of the Asylum Act, (amended version); Section 124b of the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals (ARFN) (amended version). 126 Hungary, Act No. 80 of 2007 on Asylum (2007. évi LXXX. törvény a menedékjogról), Article 80/J (6). 127 FRA (2010), Detention of third-country nationals in return procedures, Luxembourg, Publications Office, p. 60. 39