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.

I have seen child prodtitutes in Thailand and they look exactly like children.

Yes of course it's easy to see why it's far riskier for women and children to make the journey but some do and some are in the jungle. We should have taken them first regardless of family.

Look it's absolutely bloody terrible for these people but the images of those young men have been disastrous and Feed opinions that we are being conned.

Can't really buy into the conspiracy theories that it's done on purpose. Government depts are not that subtle it's simply total ineptness.

Tough shit for any 13/14 yos that happen to be early developers then!

Again with the early developers!! If you had bothered to read this thread properly, you would hv seen Werkz' post below. Children living in conflict and a shortage of food do not develop early.

Werkzallhourz Mon 17-Oct-16 21:44:34

"Middle eastern kids do often look more mature than their European counterparts- believe me I know- parents working for UN in Lebanon.

"I hear this a lot from British commentators, but in my experience, they don't. Middle Eastern and Central Asian teens tend to look a lot younger than western teens, particularly if they have lived through conflict.

"In conflict zones, the food supply collapses. So you have a food shortage, particularly of protein, during key growth periods in a child's life. As a rule, these children then tend to be noticeably shorter and weaker than other children, the girls often have a delayed puberty, and they never quite catch up."

Well indeed, Citybush, which is why we, unlike Germany and others, we were supposed to be taking refugees directly from the camps bordering Syria.

We were not supposed to be engaging in the more popular European approach of shouting, on your marks, get set, go. Then letting in the winners of a race we were encouraging and shrugging our soldiers about all the losers who were raped, trafficked, murdered or drowned.

But never mind, loads of young males of working or near to working age will be great for the European economy, so we keep getting told.

shoulders, not soldiers.

Dontpanic why children under 14? You are legally a child until you are 18, in HO terms. Also, the youngest most vulnerable refugees are being hidden from photographers - thank God.

We have an issue with people's inability to assess source evidence. Yes, the pictures look odd, but that doesn't mean you should jump to the worst possible conclusion.

This is a complex issue many agencies have been struggling to resolve for years and a couple of pictures in the paper and the professionals are dismissed as naive, liberals being taken for a ride. Sigh.

This is a complex issue many agencies have been struggling to resolve for years and a couple of pictures in the paper and the professionals are dismissed as naive, liberals being taken for a ride. Sigh

It's perfectly legitimate for the public to question these photographs. The patronising shutting down of any debate on immigration and the paternalistic instructions to trust "experts", rather than addressing concerns straight on is why we are in currently in the midst of Brexit nightmare.

The pictures exist and have caused concern. It is therefore incumbent (I think) on the Home Office to explain exactly who is in these photographs - no need to give names. But if some of the photographs are of a 45 year old interpreter then just say that.

In addition, a named person from the HO needs to give a statement explaining exactly what the process is for ascertaining the ages of child refugees to ensure that the system is not abused. So far the unnamed expert from the HO appears to have totally overlooked the doctrine of Gillick competence when determining whether X-rays be taken or not.

It is not racist in the slightest for that to be requested and done. However, whilst we are dealing in isms, I find it deeply sexist that we (mostly women) are being told to shut, to not question 'experts' and to unquestioningly accept without official reasoning why all of the children who have arrived look like adult males.

Bit. You are coming across as patronising. Afraid this attitude of the 'experts'and 'complex issues' that millions who read newspapers and watch the news couldn't possibly understand is exactly why 17 million people voted for Brexit.

I expect you were surprised after the vote to leave too just like other so called experts and the establishment.

Question it - no one is stopping you. But if that question is answered, don't then start on some ridiculous track about it being some sexist and yet liberal dictat. Disagree with the answer, by all means. Don't undermine your point with nonsense.

Exactly - it's a complex issue. Nobody wants the debate shut down, the issue is the debate turns very quickly into, "I don't want my 14 year old daughter sitting next to a 25 yr old, rapist, ISIS terrorist"

Assessing the age of older teenagers is medically difficult, there was an interview on R4 about it with a professor from Gt Ormond St.

I am not an expert but I have been asked my opinion about the ages of refugees who are being assessed. Sometimes people just don't know, even the refugees themselves.

Against this background, and I have been involved with refugees for around 10 years, it is maddening when people see a couple of photos and jump to all kinds of nonsensical assumptions.

We know it's an issue. People are working to solve it but it's just not that easy.

No official statement has been given by the HO, therefore questions have not been answered.

But if that question is answered, don't then start on some ridiculous track about it being some sexist and yet liberal dictat. Disagree with the answer, by all means. Don't undermine your point with nonsense.

But posters are perfectly entitled to debate this and give their opinions.

Gobbolin massive x post and you put it much better than I did.

Who is suggesting it is a liberal dictat?

I don't disagree with anyone here really as I think we are humanitarians here but it's very very dangerous to try and shut down legitimate concern.

That lost Gordon Brown the election and this country our EU membership.

Apparently liberals won't let people raise genuine concerns about the age of some refugees. Which is bollocks.

According to whom, on this thread?

It is patronising to say this is really complicated and I don't know what the solution is? OK, I will patronise some more.

I don't know how to resolve this issue. Medics disagree. Human Rights (thankfully) further complicate the issue. SW do their best but language and cultural issues add to the complexity. It isn't as simple as looking at a picture when decisions impact on lives.

So faced with that I would, on balance, take in older refugees rather than risk turning away children.

And sorry but if these experts are so clued up then they must be criminally stupid to clearly parade males who by anyone's standards are not children. Thry must have known the media interest In this and should have realised this storm would erupt.

I refuse to belive there were not children who are clearly children who have relatives here and coukd have been chosen instead.

Of course it's complicated no one says it isn't but knowing the media spotlight on this ffs what a bloody mess this has become.

According to the charities involved they are trying to protect the younger children and the girls from having their photos taken because they are worried about how they will be used

Given Sarah Brown's recent willingness to share photos of cute younger "refugees", I have to wonder about that; in fact I might even speculate about how long it took them to come up with that one. After all, the photos she posted must have been of genuine refugees ... mustn't they?

But the experts aren't clued up because it is a complex issue.

No one wants really young refugees paraded in front of the cameras. I think that is a good thing.

Does anyone really want photos of young vulnerable refugee girls published to satisfy public curiosity?

Not buying that one. Young refugees are seen night after night escaping from boats.

There's no ban on filming in the jungle or in Calais. Weak counter argument.

Good item on Victoria Derbyshire this morning

"That cynical reason would be to end the Dublin agreement, as the Government will have demonstrated how impossible it apparently is to work out who is an adult, and a variety of liberals have agreed with them."

Today on this thread.

Pesky liberals.

Yes they have been filmed. The issue is once the UK government has accepted responsibility for them should they allow it?

I would not want a vulnerable 14 yr old in my care paraded for the cameras, would you?