When children seeking safety are wrongly labelled adults by the authorities, the consequences can be devastating.
16-year-old Gia came to us for help at drop-in session our Refugee Support Service was holding in his asylum hotel. He was distraught.
Although Gia told the authorities his age, they believed he was eight years older. He’d just learned that a social worker had carried out an age assessment and judged him to be 24.
Gia is clearly still a teenager. He was extremely upset and overwhelmed about being mislabelled an adult. We took the time to listen to and reassure him.
With the help of an interpreter, Gia revealed that he is a survivor of human trafficking and had been brought to the UK for sexual exploitation. He told us about the nightmares he has because of what he’s been through.
We let Gia know that we believed him and would do what we could to help. After explaining the next steps, we arranged to call him the following week to update him and make sure he was alright.
With Gia’s permission, we contacted the social work department to tell them how worried we were about him. We also referred Gia for specialist support with the British Red Cross and Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance. With the help of our legal partners, we put together a case to challenge the age assessment that had labelled him an adult.
A few weeks later Gia reached out to us again for help. Despite the concerns we raised, the Home Office had written to tell him he was being moved to temporary housing with shared rooms.
This new accommodation was totally unsuitable for a vulnerable child like Gia. He was already deeply traumatised by his experiences. The prospect of being forced to share a room with adults he didn’t know was terrifying.
We immediately got in touch with Gia’s solicitor who stepped in to help.
Thanks to the age assessment challenge raised by Gia’s solicitor, the social work department have now agreed he is still a child, and the Home Office has accepted that he is 16 years old.
As a result, Gia has been moved out of unsuitable temporary asylum accommodation and is now living with a supportive and caring foster family. He has also been referred to the Guardianship Scotland service, which we run in partnership with Aberlour children’s charity, and is waiting to be matched with a Guardian.
Gia is now getting specialist counselling to help deal with his complex trauma. He is looking forward to a brighter future and hopes to gain an education here in Scotland.
*Names and other identifying details have been changed
Our Refugee Support Service is here for everyone who needs our help, wherever in Scotland they are based. Find out more.
