‘Scandal’ over detention of child refugees

Young people can be left seriously damaged by their detention with some suffering mental health difficulties as a consequence, it warns.

Some highly vulnerable children who arrive in the country unaccompanied are held for weeks before officials accept they are not adults, it found.

The report, published this week by the Refugee Council, raises concerns about the number of age dispute cases more than two years after the Government vowed to end the detention of children for immigration purposes.

The charity believes officials are failing to exercise sufficient caution on the issue, meaning the controversial practice has continued.

It has called on the Government to implement a number of safeguards to reflect the serious nature of a decision to treat someone as adult based purely on their appearance.

Donna Covey, chief executive at the Refugee Council, said: “It is a scandal that two years after the Government agreed to end the detention of children because of its harmful effects, they still believe it is acceptable to lock up children who have come here on their own.

“These are children who have fled horrifying situations in their own countries and have made traumatic journeys to reach safety here.

“They are then met with disbelief by the people who are supposed to help them and locked up with other adults in detention centres.

“The UK would never treat a British child in this way. We have an obligation to protect these children, so it is imperative that they are not held in detention and that they are given the benefit of the doubt.”

According to the report, many refugees arrive in Britain on false documents – something which is accepted under international law. These are likely to be marked with an adult’s date of birth.

“One of the biggest issues young people seeking asylum face on arrival in the UK is that they are usually unable to verify their date of birth with official documents,” the report states.

In the first three months of this year, six children were released from detention after officials realised they were under the age of 18, it found. Another four cases remain outstanding.

Last year, 22 children were released from detention for the same reason. This figure stood at 26 in 2010.