1.2 Age assessment of unaccompanied children by the RIS and in the asylum procedure On 13 August 2020, the Joint Ministerial Decision 9889/2020632 entered into force, which sets out a common age assessment procedure both in the context of reception and identification procedures and the asylum procedure. Article 41 (f) Asylum Code, related to reception and identification procedures, refers to the relevant legislation, i.e., JMD 9889/2020. 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,633 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 Facility of temporary reception/hospitality, 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 motivated decision, is obliged to refer the individual for age assessment. Age assessment is carried out by EODY within the RIC/CCAC, by any public health institution, or otherwise, by a private practitioner under a relevant programme.634 The age assessment is conducted following three successive steps, unless a safe conclusion can be drawn already at the first or second examination stage: Ø 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.635 Ø 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.636 Ø Whenever 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 Xrays 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.637 According to Article 1(7) JMD 9889/2020, the opinions and evaluations are delivered to the person responsible for the referral, who issues a relevant act to adopt the abovementioned conclusions, registers the age in the database of Reception and Asylum, and notifies the act to the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors (which, since June 2023, has been replaced by the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection).638 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 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. 138