1.2. Age assessment of unaccompanied children by the RIS and in the asylum procedure Article 41 (f) Asylum Code refers to the Joint Ministerial Decision 9889/2020697 , which sets out a common age assessment procedure both in the context of reception and identification procedures and the asylum procedure. According to Article 1(2) JMD 9889/2020, in case of doubt as to the person’s age, i.e., when the authority’s initial assessment is not consistent with the person’s statements or storyline,698 the RIS or the Asylum Service or any authority/organisation competent for the protection of minors or the provision of healthcare or the Public Prosecutor should inform – at any point of the reception and identification procedures or the asylum procedure – the Manager of the RIC or the reception facility, where the individual resides, or the Head of RIS or the Asylum Service if the doubt arises for the first time during the personal interview for the examination of the asylum application, who, acting on a reasoned decision, is obliged to refer the individual for an age assessment procedure. The age assessment is, according to the law, conducted by the Medical and Psychosocial Support Unit of the Reception and Identification Centre or the Control Access Facilities Temporary Accommodation of Asylum Seekers (CAFTAAS) or the Mobile Reception and Identification Units or the nearest one to the residence of the referred person, a competent structure of the public health system or, in case the aforementioned are not available, by a private qualified doctor, such as a paediatrician or pathologist and a private trained psychologist and social worker, under a relevant programme.699 According to same clause, the referral shall be made on the basis of the easiest, most accurate and fastest age determination. The age assessment is conducted following three successive steps, unless a safe conclusion can be drawn already at the first or second examination stage: ➢ Initially, the assessment is based on the individual’s macroscopic features (i.e., physical appearance) such as height, weight, body mass index, voice, and hair growth, following a clinical examination from properly trained healthcare professionals (i.e., physicians, paediatricians, etc.) who will consider body-metric data.700 ➢ In case the person’s age cannot be adequately determined through the examination of macroscopic features, a psychosocial assessment is carried out by a psychologist and a social worker to evaluate the cognitive, behavioural and psychological development of the individual (second step). If a psychologist is not available or there is no functioning social service in the nearest public health institution, this assessment can be conducted by a specially trained psychologist and a social worker available from a certified civil society organisation but it cannot be conducted by an organisation in charge of providing care or housing to the person whose age is in question. The outcome of the age assessment at this point is a combination of the psychosocial assessment and the examination of the development of macroscopic features. 701 ➢ If a conclusion cannot be reached after the conduct of the above procedures, the person will be subjected to the following medical examinations (last step): either left wrist and hand X-rays for the assessment of the skeletal mass, or dental examination or panoramic dental X-rays or any other appropriate means which can lead to a firm conclusion according to the international bibliography and practice.702 According to Article 1(7) JMD 9889/2020, the opinions and evaluations are delivered to the entity responsible for the referral, which then issues a relevant act to adopt the abovementioned conclusions, registers the age in the database of Reception and Asylum, and notifies accordingly the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection (former Special Secretary for UAMs). 703 After the age assessment procedure is completed, the individual should be informed in a language they understand about the content of the age assessment decision, against which they have the right to appeal 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 Joint Ministerial Decision 9889/2020, Gov. Gazette 3390/Β/13-8-2020. See Article 1(3) JMD 9889/2020. See Art 4 JMD 9889/2020. See Article 1(5)(a) JMD 9889/2020. See Art. 1(5)(b) JMD 9889/2020. See Art 1(5)(c) JMD 9889/2020. Contrary to MD 92490/2013 and JMD 1982/2016 which provided for left wrist, hand X-rays, dental examination and panoramic dental X- rays cumulatively and not alternatively. See Presidential Decision 77/2023 (Government Gazette A' 130/ 27-06-2023), available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/4b7MkL8. 141