ANNUAL SPECIAL REPORT 2016
19
In the designated Reception and Identification Centre the situation appears
under control. The general image of the centre was acceptable. The atmosphere was calm, the relations between police officers and the residents of
the centre appeared good, and there was relative mobility in and out of the
centre. Unaccompanied minors reside in a special wing of the centre. The
maximum capacity of the minor wing is 160 persons. The on-site inspections
determined that:
»
The process for verifying the age of minors does not include
a wrist x-ray, but is made macroscopically. Rulings are made
only by Doctors of the World. However, the Ombudsman considers it problematic that once a decision has been made that
a person claiming to be a minor is an adult, the third-country
national ceases to be protected as a minor, even if the person
in question appeals the decision. Therefore, as a rule, such
persons no longer receive “protective detention” as minors;
neither do they receive legal support, in order to exercise their
rights. Indeed, at the time of the visit, cases of third-country
nationals were reported, who had initially been deemed to
be adults and who requested to remain at the Reception and
Identification Centre for their own protection. However, the
administrator of the Reception and Identification Centre noted
that – although in his estimation, the third-country national
does not warrant any protection or increased care, during the
period of time that the decision of appraisal of adulthood is in
effect – in similar cases the Reception and Identification Centre
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents