1. The Committee of
Ministers has carefully considered Recommendation 2117 (2017) on “Child-friendly age assessment for unaccompanied
migrant children”. It shares the view of the Parliamentary Assembly
that age assessment of unaccompanied children is a crucial issue
for the safeguarding and protection of children in the context of
migration. It is indeed also a complex process, which seeks to establish
the legal regime applicable to an individual, with possible far-reaching
consequences for the individual concerned. Age assessment methods
and processes differ across member States and reliable multidisciplinary
and rights-compliant age assessment procedures are not always in
place. That, coupled with the gravity of the outcome of an age assessment
for an individual and the potentially detrimental impact of age
assessment on their physical and mental health, underline the necessity
of developing guidelines on the human rights framework applicable
to age assessment.
2. In this regard, the Committee of Ministers would inform the
Assembly that progress has been made by the Ad hoc Committee for
the Rights of the Child (CAHENF), and in particular its drafting
group of experts, with regard to the preparation of draft guidelines
on age assessment. During this work, the relevant recommendations
of the Assembly are being given full consideration. It is expected
that the draft guidelines will be submitted to the Committee of
Ministers in the first half of 2019 for adoption.
