X-rays have been taken of several thousand asylum seekers on order from the state over the past fifteen years. It’s not because they’re sick. That’s because the authorities doubt whether they are actually as old as they state they are. Some asylum seekers lack papers, and their age matters a lot for what rights they have in Norway. For some, their age can determine whether they can stay or have to go. The test is highly controversial. Professionals believe that it cannot be trusted, and the Medical Association has boycotted it since 2010. After years of criticism, the state promised improvement when a new tool was launched. Now news can reveal that the tool has not been used as intended in the past four years. More than 380 asylum seekers have been examined using a method that contravenes national recommendations. Meanwhile, the state has tried to solve the problem quietly. Missing one of two images “We are happy that the method we use for age assessment has now been improved”, stated the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) in 2017. At the time, a number of experts at Oslo University Hospital (OUS) had assessed the research and developed a new method. The new age assessment was now to be based on several studies and two photos: one of the hand and one of the teeth. news’s investigations show that in practice it only leans on one. The problem is this: UDI has not been able to reach an agreement with someone who will take x-rays of the asylum seekers’ hands. They have been without a supplier since 2018. This is shown in documents that news has been given access to. The Ministry of Justice has specified to UDI that both photos should be available to make a good age assessment. “It is therefore important to get a new agreement in place,” says the letter news has obtained access to. More than 380 asylum seekers have nevertheless been age-tested after this. Throughout this period, the state has been missing the picture. UDI has not informed about this either on its website or in its own guidelines. “The age examination consists of two parts, an X-ray of the hand and teeth” was stated on UDI’s website at the latest in November this year. When news got in touch, they changed the text. OUS, which is behind the tool, confirms that using both images is more precise. They therefore believe that it is important to get a new supplier in place. Will not pass the test – Basing age assessments on teeth alone is not good enough, says president of the Norwegian Dental Association, Heming Olsen-Bergem. – It is worrying. You need more than that, he continues. Heming Olsen-Bergem Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news The association was part of a reference group that was allowed to provide input when the tool was developed. He says that they will contact UDI about the matter. – As long as the test is only based on dental X-rays, we cannot vouch for it. UDI should not use it, says Olsen-Bergem. The association will recommend to its members that they do not contribute, says the president. Lil-Sofie Ording Müller at Oslo University Hospital (OUS) was also part of the group that was allowed to give input on the new tool. – You cannot use dental X-rays to distinguish a 17-year-old from an 18-year-old, she says. Ording Müller is a specialist in pediatric radiology and has been involved in the subject for several years. – We were skeptical that the tool would open up the use of just the hand or tooth, but we were promised that it should not be used with just one of the tests, she says. – One investigation is better than none If an asylum seeker states that he is an unmarried minor, the UDI is obliged to assess the person’s age. – Our opinion is that one investigation is better than none, says head of department at UDI, Ingrid Olram. This is because the UDI gets an even broader basis for deciding on age, together with other information in the case, she explains. – We generally think it is unfortunate that we are not allowed to follow the national recommendations, says Olram. – What consequence does this have for the assessment of those who are examined? – The basis for making an assessment is not as good as it could have been. We must therefore use the result with even greater caution, she says. – We are strongly critical of the method, says Jon Ole Martinsen of the Norwegian Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (Noas). Jon Ole Martinsen, Noah. Photo: Silje Rognsvåg / news They feel that the investigation trumps other people’s statements, for example from the police. – We see that in practice it is given weight, says Martinsen. Thinks the method has improved – It is important that children are not misjudged as adults, and that adults are not misjudged as children either. That’s what state secretary from the Labor Party, Astrid Bergmål, answers when news contacts the Ministry of Justice about the matter. Astrid Bergmål Photo: Virke – It is also important to bear in mind that the method has steadily improved, she says. – In what way has it improved? “You can read about this in UDI’s guidelines or contact them,” the ministry writes in an email. In the guidelines they refer to, it is stated that the UDI carries out the survey with both images. – Is it justifiable to take such an age test when in practice only half the examination is carried out? “We are referring to UDI, who can explain the methodology”, writes the ministry. In a follow-up interview a week later, Bergmål says this: – It is true that this method is not one hundred percent accurate, but it is still the case that there will be greater security if we can take both pictures. – What will the ministry do about it? – We would like to encourage those communities who do not currently want to contribute to both of these photos being taken, to contribute by doing so, she says. news has spoken to the Medical Association, which says that as long as new specialist knowledge is not put forward, they maintain their position that the method contravenes their ethical rules. The Ministry of Justice says that they have contacted the Ministry of Health and Welfare about the matter. That is because there has been talk of radiologists employed at the hospitals taking the pictures. But when news contacts the Ministry of Health, they write that there has been no talk of anything concrete this autumn.
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