Decision-making and Children

Children may have little understanding of the activities carried out by the adults and may find it difficult to articulate their fears in relation to the Convention grounds for getting refugee status. For example, political opinion is more likely to be 'imputed' by reason of a connection with relatives or other adults. In terms of the qualification for refugee status under the Refugee Convention, decision makers are instructed to give greater weight to the objective condition of risk rather than the child’s state of mind, i.e. the child’s interpretation of what the particular risks to them are. While some would take that instruction as meaning that children have fears which are more likely to be fanciful, a more generous interpretation would suggest that children are unlikely to have fully comprehended the dangers that face them.

Link to Home Office policy on dealing with asylum applications from accompanied and accompanied children can be found at: http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/asylumprocessguidance/
specialcases/guidance/processingasylumapplication1.pdf?view=Binary