# EU/UN have redefined the age of the term child to facilitate immigration? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 15, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090 "2016-11-15T20:05:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/1 "2016-11-15T20:05:42Z")
I’ve seen this allegation made on several occassions during discussions on immigration into the European Union, usually variations on the quote below: _‘In a cunning sleight of hand, the EU/NGO Volunteer Corps have redefined any male migrant/refugee under 30 years of age a child’_ (copied it from the comment section of a recent BBC online news article, sorry I can’t remember which one) Now I find that unlikely but just out of interest I did some googling but the results have only left me more confused. Does anyone know for sure if this is just made up or does it have any basic in fact? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/2 "2016-11-15T21:24:32Z")
Well the [EU says](http://ec.europa.eu/justice/fundamental-rights/rights-child/index_en.htm) > [@](#): > > Rights of children are part of human rights: rights that the EU and EU countries must respect, protect and fulfil. As laid down in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a child is any human being below the age of 18r The Commission is guided by the principles set out in the UN Convention on the rights of the child, ratified by all EU countries. So assume anything else is bullshit unless cited. What did you find that confuses you? ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/3 "2016-11-15T21:57:34Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > Well the [EU says](http://ec.europa.eu/justice/fundamental-rights/rights-child/index_en.htm) > > So assume anything else is bullshit unless cited. What did you find that confuses you? Thank you, mostly just reams of documents, my google-fu was obviously poor. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/4 "2016-11-16T07:44:31Z")
> [@Atomic\_Alex](#): > > copied it from the comment section Surely, a prori that goes a helluva way towards answering yout question by itself… In any case, the mention of a non-existent “EU/NGO Volunteer Corps” would ring a warning bell or two. My guess is that this is a wouldbe sarcastic reference to known disagreement/disputes between officialdom and volunteers/charities as to the age of some individual refugees. Some of the rightwing press in the UK (the usual suspects) picked on one or two people in a photo of a group of unaccompanied child refugees finally accepted into the UK to claim they were obviously adult and therefore it was all a fraud - turned out it was a translator travelling with the group). ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/5 "2016-11-16T17:28:41Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Surely, a prori that goes a helluva way towards answering yout question by itself… I’ve seen it mentioned in several different places, not worded exactly in the same manner but stating that the definition of a child has been changed to facilitate immigration. Unlikely? Certainly. But hardly beyond the realms of possibility. That’s why I came here and asked. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/6 "2016-11-16T17:32:45Z")
> [@Atomic\_Alex](#): > > I’ve seen it mentioned in several different places, not worded exactly in the same manner but stating that the definition of a child has been changed to facilitate immigration. Unlikely? Certainly. But hardly beyond the realms of possibility. > > That’s why I came here and asked. 30 - a child? That social media rots your brain in the end … ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/7 "2016-11-16T17:53:25Z")
> [@](#): > > when the age of an undocumented child – and > therefore the need for a guardian – is disputed and the authorities are carrying out > an age assessment. The Anti-Trafficking Directive (2011/36/EU) explicitly sets out that > where the age of a person subject to trafficking is uncertain, and there are reasons > to believe that the child is less than 18 years of age, that person should be presumed > to be a child and receive immediate assistance, support and protection (Recital22). > In such a situation, a guardian or temporary guardian should be appointed (see also > Section 10.1. on age assessment). Taken from [Guardianship for children deprived of parental care](http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2014-guardianship-children_en_0.pdf). Section 10 details age assessment. If this was based on a photo of unaccompanied child migrants than the older person in the picture is likely the appointed guardian. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/8 "2016-11-16T19:42:00Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > 30 - a child? That social media rots your brain in the end … Was that really necessary? ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/9 "2016-11-16T19:43:00Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > Taken from [Guardianship for children deprived of parental care](http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2014-guardianship-children_en_0.pdf). Section 10 details age assessment. If this was based on a photo of unaccompanied child migrants than the older person in the picture is likely the appointed guardian. Thank you Grey ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/10 "2016-11-16T21:42:41Z")
EU NGO Volunteer Corps are “Non-Governmental Organization” (if such a corps exists) and so by definition have no authority to set government rules or legalities. An NGO for example would Doctors Without Borders or Greenpeace. They would obviously have a role and try to participate in their favorite cause, but no authority to set government policy. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/11 "2016-11-17T06:51:07Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > EU NGO Volunteer Corps are “Non-Governmental Organization” (if such a corps exists) and so by definition have no authority to set government rules or legalities. There is no such “corps” as an existing legal entity, but I guess if you’re trying to make it sound as if we’re being invaded by PETA, Oxfam and the Lutheran Church (all of which can be considered NGOs under the regulations of one or more EU member countries) it sounds a lot more scary if you add that “corps”. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/12 "2016-11-18T11:24:10Z")
What I’ve seen alleged is simply that there’s a lot of fraud, with people who obviously do not appear to be children being let in as such. That one side is lying, and the other side is looking the other way since it’s a way to get refugees. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/13 "2016-11-18T11:57:00Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > … That one side is lying, and the other side is looking the other way since it’s a way to get refugees. The former is reputed to be pretty widespread (because as an unaccompanied minor you get a significantly better standard of accommodation), but the latter does not even make sense. No country _wants_ to attract unqualified refugees. In Germany it’s a pretty thorny issue - minors and ‘minors’ both arrive mostly without any ID documents (that’s advantageous for a lot of refugees anyway), you cannot reliably tell a 17 year old from a 25 year old from their outer appearance, and a lot of doctors consider making x-rays for nonmedical purposes unethical, even illegal. It’s not that the state is looking the other way - if anything refugee advocates accuse the state of erring to the side of adulthood because caring for an accompanied minor costs a multiple than housing a young adult. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eu-un-have-redefined-the-age-of-the-term-child-to-facilitate-immigration/772090/14 "2016-11-21T20:39:20Z")
> [@Atomic\_Alex](#): > > I’ve seen it mentioned in several different places, not worded exactly in the same manner but stating that the definition of a child has been changed to facilitate immigration. Unlikely? Certainly. But hardly beyond the realms of possibility. > > That’s why I came here and asked. As a general rule, any time you see an obviously outrageous claim being repeated across multiple websites, without any links to an original source, it’s almost certainly complete BS. I’ve tried tracking down such things before, and found this was true in virtually all such cases. Think about it: [EU regulations are publicly available](http://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html). They’d have to be, otherwise people would have no idea what rules were being enforced. As such, anyone claiming that there’s a particular rule should be able to at least tell you what the regulation number is, and probably should be able to directly link to a site such as above that lists the explicit wording of the rule. Failing to provide even that most basic of citations would suggest that someone just made it up, and others have just parroted it as part of an echo chamber.