To think only 3 of the 15 migrant children look under 18

[AmyMiller]

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3843900/amp/First-migrant-children-arrive-UK-Calais-French-prepare-raze-Jungle-camp-ground.html?client=safari

This is so ridiculous, many of them look around 25.

Where there is the potential for adult males to abuse a system designed to support vulnerable children of course this should be questioned, regardless of where those individuals come from. I don't understand why anyone would have a problem with this.

These men are not going to move heaven and earth to bring the rest of their families over either. They will try very hard to keep a low profile now they are here.

I think it's absolute madness.

Thanks ner, I'm glad I'm not the only one who can see it

We don't really have a lot to go on as ordinary punters do we?

We can't know what checks are being done to establish the age of these people.

We don't know how or why the press got these pictures.

We don't know how the family connections can be proved.

We don't know what kind of birth registrations systems take place in the places where the people came from.

Ordinary punters? What, with eyes and experience of meeting thousands of other human beings from all walks of life in our day to day lives? Nope, I dont know what makes us idiots who have never left our warm judgey homes think we have any experience in looking at fellow humans and questioning their claimed ages.

Chaz , Doin and others, you're obviously intelligent people with knowledge of the subject and an apparent desire to help those really in need, i.e. young girls and women and weedy boys. Why then are you on this thread empowering the xenophobic? This will do the overall cause no good whatsoever - this is about 14 teenage boys! 14! If you truely wish to help those in real need you should be working towards eliminating this country's intolerance and fear of foreigners. This thread and others like it are, imo, doing the opposite.

Shirley... go have a and give your head a wobble! Xenophobic? You still havent answered me as to why questioning age equates to bigotry?

You obviously haven't seen our school's 1st XV then!

Is someone really claiming they are a child because they look like a well fed, physically trained athlete who was brought up with every health benefit and luxury England provides?

I thought these were orphaned, vulnerable, war ravaged, underfed, malnourished and abused children living in a jungle.

I showed them the picture of the guy in blue, and asked his age. They said '40s'

Do you mean the guy in the long sleeve pale blue top (I can;t see anyone else wearing blue)?

I certainly don't think he looks in his 40's

OP thinks of the 15 only 3 look in their teens. But there aren't all 15 teens in that picture only about 9 by my reckoning so all 15 are not photographed and there is at least one teen who is photographed several times looking older from some angles and obviously younger in other angles.

I despair that people (including me) are spending so much time being up in arms about 15 young men 15 who have family already in the UK and have sufficient evidence that the Home office are prepared to accept their age and have allowed them to join their family.

The Home office are not push overs, they are institutionally predisposed to resist taking anyone at all (hence our dreadful record with the Dublin Agreement). These young men will also be held pending further safeguarding checks.

Cases of "men" claiming to be boys in this country are more often people who have already got into the country who are claiming to be children not people whom the government has checked in advance.

There are potentially 150 children in Calais with ties to the UK - we are obliged to take them if they can prove they are children. It's hardly a flood.

I don't understand why we haven't airlifted women and children, maybe Yazidi women and Children who are at risk of being wiped out in those regions from camps in Lebanon. Taking from Calais is by definition taking those stronger and less vulnerable than those that they have left behind. They have managed to make their way across Europe. They are mainly young men. Taking from Calais just encourages more to travel to Calais.

If these are the most vulnerable then it's just a bloody joke. Too many incompetent people involved in getting them here.

I don't understand why anyone would have a problem with this. - I don;t.

It's the armchair detectives who on the basis of one photo in the Daily Fail have decided that they know better than the Home Office who are known to be extremely resistant to complying with their obligations under the Dublin amendment.

Exactly 'raisedbyguineapigs' This is what I cant understand, if we took vulnerable women and children direct from the camps near to the warzones, then this dangerous journey would not be necessary and the help available would be going to the right people. We are just lining the pockets of the people traffickers here! Why would we want to encourage that? Maybe its just me, but I do not understand why people are defending this stupidity.

Ah Kewcumber you put it so much better than I ever could. I think I've just made things worse with my outbursts . I shall go back to sitting on my hands.

IT's PART OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THE DUBLIN AGREEMENT!!!!!!

Even the bloody Daily Mail has worked that out so even if you read the DM article you will understand that this isn;t about unaccompanied minors in general or childrne at risk or refugees - it's a specific agreement.

Refugees have to claim asylum in the first safe country they come to regardless of where their family are.

The only exception to that (which we agreed) is that unaccompanied minors should be allowed to join their families if they are settled somewhere else. Obviously this encourages people to claim they are minors when they are not. Which is why the Home Office is reluctant to approve anyone coming here, which is why they have only agreed to these 15 (out of 150) because they say they have sufficient evidence that they ARE minors.

You can decide you know better based on a photo but based on the fact that up thread a number people seem to be confused about who in the photos were the actual teenagers being referred to and who were family/bystanders then I'd rather trust the Home Office thanks.

an apparent desire to help those really in need, i.e. young girls and women and weedy boys.

You're quite horrible beneath that hippy bullshit, aren't you?

It's strange how these people don't keep their personal documentation except for details of "family" in the uk ......

Have you heard or read the Home Office's explanation as to their age determination protocol kew?

They certainly don't sound their usual selves.

if we took vulnerable women and children direct from the camps near to the warzones

Most of the unaccompanied children we have taken so far have come from camps in Greece, these are the first to come from Calais. I don't think women (unless there there is a specific reason they are vulnerable) have been prioritised since the Titanic went down but I'm happy to be proven wrong about that.

I don't think women (unless there there is a specific reason they are vulnerable) have been prioritised since the Titanic went down but I'm happy to be proven wrong about that.

Don't be daft. Of course women and children are a priority in aid work and similar.

Wow KEW, just WOW... obviously I am so outdated in thinking that women and children (such as the yazidis) should be prioritised as vulnerable over Strapping, muscular men. I shall hang my head in shame.

(unless there there is a specific reason they are vulnerable)

You mean like being less physically strong?

At risk of rape and pregnancy?

Many coming from cultures where women are not seen as people in their own right?

And then there was this.... poor kid, and you bleeding heart bastards are defending this madness? Im sorry, but now I am really angry, why is this boy not here already? Ffs. What a total joke! And yes, its the daily mail, so what? At least they are reporting it! Grown men Lie and we are supposed to accept it, this child tells the truth and we abandon him?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3850474/Please-let-come-England-Ten-year-old-stranded-Calais-Jungle-begs-British-official-help-DENIED-entry-no-family-UK.html

I completely agree wookie but the DM are still the hateful xenophobic DM even if a stopped clock is right twice a day.