The first data from the implementation of the new institutional framework for determining the minor status of asylum seekers, which has been implemented since the end of August by a joint ministerial decision of the Ministries of Immigration and Asylum and Health, are revealing.
According to initial information, over 60% of immigrants who declared themselves minors ultimately turned out to be adults, a fact that highlights the extent of the phenomenon of false declarations to obtain benefits from the State.
The new protocol, signed on August 22 by the Minister of Immigration and Asylum Thanos Plevris, Deputy Minister Sevi Voloudaki and the Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis, provides for a defined medical procedure for cases where the competent services express doubts about the age of the applicant. The framework describes a series of examinations - from dental and radiological assessment to bone maturation assessment - and is applied only when there are indications that the declared age is not reliable.
Based on the initial data examined by the Secretary General for Asylum Seekers, Dimitris Glymis, in the 104 cases that had been classified as "suspicious" by the directors of asylum structures and services, it was found that:
– 59 people were adults,
– 10 actually minors,
– 35 cases are under examination.
Furthermore, a significant number of immigrants refused to undergo the tests, so, based on the legal framework, they were automatically classified as adults.
The finding highlights a well-known practice that has been documented in recent years: many migrants, especially men aged 18–35, declared themselves minors in order to avoid administrative detention and to join a protection, hospitality and preferential asylum procedures. Minority status provides a different legal status, especially in terms of housing, freedom of movement and access to services. Therefore, the possibility of abuse of the system undermined the asylum process and the protection of genuine unaccompanied minors.
The determination is carried out once and on the same day, using a combination of three methods:
– Medical evaluation of physical development.
– Psychosocial assessment by a specialist scientist.
– X-ray of the left wrist/hand to determine bone age.
According to Ministry officials, the goal is not punitive, but to enforce transparency and protect the asylum system itself. “When adults appear as minors, the result is to deprive children who really need protection of status, structures and care,” they emphasize.
Source: protothema.gr
