The Guardian understands that three age-disputed children who the Interior Ministry said were adults and were being held in preparation for moving to Rwanda have now been released. It is understood that concerns have been expressed that at least three other detainees threatened with deportation to the East African country are children and not adults. A letter signed by members of the Consortium of Refugee and Immigrant Children, including the Children’s Society, the Refugee Council and ECPAT, is sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel. “We are seriously concerned that unaccompanied children – who have been misdiagnosed as adults – will be transferred to Rwanda with enormous detrimental effects on their safety and well-being,” he said. He adds: “At the moment, there are no safeguards for children who say they are children but are treated as adults by the Ministry of Interior.” The members of the consortium stated that they regularly see the Ministry of Interior treating children from 14 years old as adults. Data from 55 local authorities gathered from freedom of information responses received from the Helen Bamber Foundation show that in 2021, more than 450 young people were referred to child services after being sent to adult accommodation or detention. Three quarters were found to be children. Initial data for 2022 indicate that this problem continues. Young people who have recently arrived in the UK are often unaware of the early age decisions made by immigration officials. The letter states that young people often receive little support and do not know how to challenge a misjudgment, nor do they always appreciate the consequences of such a decision. “According to the government policy for Rwanda, these children who were wrongly assessed as adults are now facing the potentially extreme consequences of being displaced to a country 4,000 miles away without any other means of rehabilitation. Placing children at such a risk is a clear violation of the Foreign Minister’s duty to protect and promote the well-being of children. “We call on you to ensure that the Ministry of the Interior puts its responsibilities regarding the rights and protection of children above the control of immigration.” Enver Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of the Refugee Council, said: “Rwanda’s tough and ugly agreement does not see the person behind the case and treats vulnerable people with contempt. We already had to intervene immediately to prevent the deportation of children who were wrongly assessed as adults in Rwanda. “We are very concerned that this will be the fate of many more young people who are currently being held in custody. We know from our work directly with young people that this is happening [an effect] on their stress and mental health, with alarming reports of self-harm. “We need a regular, humane and fair asylum system that treats children as children and provides them with the support they need, not treats them as a human burden that will be sent to Rwanda.” Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST Benny Hunter, coordinator of the Da’aro Youth Program, which supports young refugees from the Horn of Africa, said: “We are deeply saddened by the news of unaccompanied children being detained and threatened with deportation to Rwanda. Young people arriving in the UK separated from their families are seriously vulnerable. “It is unacceptable for them to experience distrust, imprisonment and threats of expulsion instead of kindness and care.” Azmina Siddique, Children and Society’s Policy and Impact Officer, said: “We are really concerned that children may be misjudged by age and sent to Rwanda. “The Children’s Society has been working to support young refugees and asylum seekers for many years and knows that if a child is assessed as an adult it has a profound effect on their mental health and can put them at greater risk.” A Home Office spokesman said: “Our world-leading cooperation with Rwanda is a key part of our strategy to repair the damaged asylum system. We were clear from the beginning that we expected legal challenges. However, we are determined to implement this new partnership. We have now issued official instructions to the first group of people to be transferred to Rwanda later this month. “This marks a critical step towards the functioning of a policy that is fully in line with international and national law.”
