Age assessment in unaccompanied minors: assessing uniformity of protocols across Europe
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Age assessment in unaccompanied minors : assessing uniformity of protocols across Europe. / Cummaudo, Marco; Obertova, Zuzana; Lynnerup, Niels; Petaros, Anja; de Boer, Hans; Baccino, Eric; Steyn, Maryna; Cunha, Eugenia; Ross, Ann; Adalian, Pascal; Kranioti, Elena; Fracasso, Tony; Ferreira, Maria Teresa; Lefèvre, Philippe; Tambuzzi, Stefano; Peckitt, Robin; Campobasso, Carlo Pietro; Ekizoglu, Oguzhan; De Angelis, Danilo; Cattaneo, Cristina.
In: International Journal of Legal Medicine, Vol. 138, 2024, p. 983–995.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Age assessment in unaccompanied minors
T2 - assessing uniformity of protocols across Europe
AU - Cummaudo, Marco
AU - Obertova, Zuzana
AU - Lynnerup, Niels
AU - Petaros, Anja
AU - de Boer, Hans
AU - Baccino, Eric
AU - Steyn, Maryna
AU - Cunha, Eugenia
AU - Ross, Ann
AU - Adalian, Pascal
AU - Kranioti, Elena
AU - Fracasso, Tony
AU - Ferreira, Maria Teresa
AU - Lefèvre, Philippe
AU - Tambuzzi, Stefano
AU - Peckitt, Robin
AU - Campobasso, Carlo Pietro
AU - Ekizoglu, Oguzhan
AU - De Angelis, Danilo
AU - Cattaneo, Cristina
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Age assessment of migrants is crucial, particularly for unaccompanied foreign minors, a population facing legal, social, and humanitarian challenges. Despite existing guidelines, there is no unified protocol in Europe for age assessment. The Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) conducted a comprehensive questionnaire to understand age estimation practices in Europe. The questionnaire had sections focusing on the professional background of respondents, annual assessment numbers, requesting parties and reasons, types of examinations conducted (e.g., physical, radiological), followed protocols, age estimation methods, and questions on how age estimates are reported. The questionnaire's findings reveal extensive engagement of the forensic community in age assessment in the living, emphasizing multidisciplinary approaches. However, there seems to be an incomplete appreciation of AGFAD guidelines. Commonalities exist in examination methodologies and imaging tests. However, discrepancies emerged among respondents regarding sexual maturity assessment and reporting assessment results. Given the increasing importance of age assessment, especially for migrant child protection, the study stresses the need for a unified protocol across European countries. This can only be achieved if EU Member States wholeheartedly embrace the fundamental principles outlined in EU Directives and conduct medical age assessments aligned with recognized standards such as the AGFAD guidelines.
AB - Age assessment of migrants is crucial, particularly for unaccompanied foreign minors, a population facing legal, social, and humanitarian challenges. Despite existing guidelines, there is no unified protocol in Europe for age assessment. The Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) conducted a comprehensive questionnaire to understand age estimation practices in Europe. The questionnaire had sections focusing on the professional background of respondents, annual assessment numbers, requesting parties and reasons, types of examinations conducted (e.g., physical, radiological), followed protocols, age estimation methods, and questions on how age estimates are reported. The questionnaire's findings reveal extensive engagement of the forensic community in age assessment in the living, emphasizing multidisciplinary approaches. However, there seems to be an incomplete appreciation of AGFAD guidelines. Commonalities exist in examination methodologies and imaging tests. However, discrepancies emerged among respondents regarding sexual maturity assessment and reporting assessment results. Given the increasing importance of age assessment, especially for migrant child protection, the study stresses the need for a unified protocol across European countries. This can only be achieved if EU Member States wholeheartedly embrace the fundamental principles outlined in EU Directives and conduct medical age assessments aligned with recognized standards such as the AGFAD guidelines.
KW - Age estimation
KW - Dental development
KW - Medical age assessment
KW - Skeletal development
KW - Unaccompanied minors
U2 - 10.1007/s00414-024-03157-8
DO - 10.1007/s00414-024-03157-8
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38279991
AN - SCOPUS:85183418791
VL - 138
SP - 983
EP - 995
JO - International Journal of Legal Medicine (Online)
JF - International Journal of Legal Medicine (Online)
SN - 1437-1596
ER -
ID: 381565573