European legal and policy framework on immigration detention of children detained at the border for three working days during an age assessment (extendable for another three working days in exceptional cases), but immigration detention of unaccompanied children is forbidden.38 In Hungary and Slovakia, in cases of age disputes, applicants are considered adults until their age is confirmed and can be subject to detention during this period.39 In Poland and Slovakia, if applicants for international protection refuse to undergo medical examinations to determine their age, the applicants are considered adults.40 1.2. The ‘best interests of the child’ principle The best interests of the child is one of the four guiding principles of the CRC and a central element of the rights of the child protected by the Charter. Article 24 (2) of the Charter provides that, “[i]n all actions relating to children, whether taken by public authorities or private institutions, the child’s best interests must be a primary consideration.” The principle of the best interests of the child is mirrored in secondary EU legislation concerning immigration detention. The Reception Conditions Directive and the Return Directive specify that the best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in the detention 38 Belgium, Act of 12 January 2007 on the reception of asylum seekers and other specific categories of foreigners (The Reception Act) (Loi du 12 janvier 2007 sur l’accueil des demandeurs d’asile et de certaines autres catégories d’étrangers (loi sur l’accueil) / Wet van 12 Januari 2007 betreffende de opvang van asielzoekers en van bepaalde andere categorieën van vreemdelingen), 12 January 2007, Article 41(2); Plate-forme Mineurs en exil/Platform Kinderen op de vlucht (2015), Detentie van kinderen in gezinnen in belgie: analyse van de theorie en de praktijk December 2015, , p. 44–50; European Migration Network (EMN) (2014), The use of detention and alternatives to detention in the context of immigration policies in Belgium, Brussels, European Migration Network , p. 14. 39 Slovakia, Aliens Act (Zakon o pobyte cudzincov), Article 127 (1) ; FRA (2016), Key migration issues: one year on from initial reporting, October 2016, Luxembourg, Publications Office, p. 4. Hungary, Article 31/A (8) c) of the Act No 80 of 2007 on Asylum and Article 36/B of Government Decree No 301/2007 (V.31) implementing the Asylum Act. These legal provisions are quite vague and leave room for improper administrative practices as regards their application see Hungarian Helsinki Committee (2016), Monitoring the Situation of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children in Hungary, pp. 6–8; Hungarian Helsinki Committee (2017), The detention of asylum seeking children in Hungary: Dire tendencies in upholding the basic rights of children. 40 Poland, the Act on Foreigners, Article 397(6). (Ustawa z dnia 13 grudnia 2013 r. o cudzoziemcach), 13 December 2013, Slovakia, Asylum Act (Zakon o azyle), Section 23 (7). 22 of children. 41 This means that these must be given significant weight when assessing whether or not to detain a child. Ø As clarified by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the principle of the best interests of the child applies at two different levels, as illustrated in Figure  3. First, it applies when making a  decision that affects an individual child. Second, the principle also obliges states to reflect it in laws and policies.42 It requires EU  Member States to take proactive measures, ensuring that the best interests of the child are a  primary consideration in legislation, policies and practices at all levels of government.43 For example, in the context of migration management, it requires states to develop alternative measures to detention. A state cannot justify the use of detention as a last resort if it has not first taken adequate legislative and policy measures to establish alternatives. The principle of the best interests of the child (Article 3 of the CRC) is not only an interpretative legal principle; it is also a right and a rule of procedure.44 This requires EU Member States to set up procedures to assess the best interests of the child before any decision affecting the child is taken and to ensure that they receive primary consideration. The individual decision-making process must carefully consider the irreversible negative impact of detention on the life of the child and give primary consideration to this when weighing the different interests at stake. For more on this, see Chapter 4. 41 Directive 2013/33/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection, OJ 2013 L 180, pp. 96-116 (Reception Conditions Directive), Article 11 (2); Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on common standards and procedures in Member States for returning illegally staying third-country nationals, OJ 2008 L 348, pp. 98-107 (Return Directive), Article 17 (5). 42 UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No. 14 (2013) on the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken as a primary consideration (art.3, para. 1), 29 May 2013, CRC/C/GC/14, para. 15a. 43 UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child, General comment No. 5 (2003) General measures of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 27 November 2003, CRC/GC/2003/5, para. 12. 44 UN, Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No. 14 (2013) on the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken as a primary consideration (art.3, para. 1), 29 May 2013, CRC/C/GC/14.