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Child migrants in UK at risk of being sent to Rwanda, campaigners claim

Migrant children could be sent to Rwanda by mistake if the Home Office wrongly decides they are adults, campaigners have warned, the Inews reported.
The Refugee Council raised concerns after highlighting errors it claims were made in some of the department’s age assessments for youngsters who have sought asylum in the UK.
The charity said it has “already had to intervene to stop children who were incorrectly assessed as adults from being detained awaiting removal to Rwanda”.
A report published by the Refugee Council said 94 per cent of 233 children it supported last year were wrongly considered to be aged over 18 by the Home Office, with just 14 found to be adults.
In more than half of the cases the Government claimed the children were at least 25 years old or older, the report claimed.
The charity urged the Government to ensure no children deemed to be an adult by the Home Office were “threatened” with deportation to Rwanda unti undergoing a “professional assessment” by a social worker.

The Home Office previously insisted lone migrant children would be exempt from being sent to Rwanda, although families could be in line for removal..
Enver Solomon, the charity’s chief executive, blamed “hasty and woeful” decision-making by the Home Office, which left children at risk of abuse and neglect and without proper support or education.
He said: “Every day refugee children are at risk of abuse and neglect because hasty, woeful decision-making routinely mistakes them for adults. Time and again the Government claims that people are always lying about their age but the evidence shows they are not.
Over 13,000 migrants have crossed English Channel since Rwanda scheme announced
“We are very worried that children are going to be sent to Rwanda, which will have devastating consequences for young people who have already suffered so much.
“We urge the Government to immediately take heed of our recommendations and do better by vulnerable children it has a duty to protect.”
More than 32,300 migrangs have crossed the Channel in small boats this year, with more than 7,200 in September alone so far.
In January, the then-Home Secretary Priti Patel called in scientific advisers in a bid to use X-rays and other medical checks on asylum seekers to stop grown men “masquerading as children” on their applications.
Britain has already paid £120 million for stalled Rwanda deal
The Home Office claimed that people trying to claim they are younger than they are to receive asylum or refugee status in the UK was a “significant issue” and that it was setting up a scientific advisory committee to advise on checking the ages of those arriving in the UK.
It claimed that in the 12 months up to September 2021, of 1,696 resolved age dispute cases in which an individual’s claim to be a child was disputed, around two thirds were found to be adults.
But the Refugee Council claimed the Government’s plans were “flawed” and risked children being wrongly deemed to be adults with some “forced to go through scientific procedures that are not reliable.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Age assessments are challenging but vital. Children are at risk when asylum seeking adults claim to be children, or children are wrongly treated as adults.
Liz Truss nominates Turkey as candidate to join Rwanda scheme
“Our reforms through the Nationality and Borders Act aim to make assessments more consistent and robust by using scientific measures, and creating a new National Age Assessment Board.
If there is doubt whether a claimant is an adult or child, they will be referred for a local authority assessment and will be treated as a child until a decision on their age is made.”
Source: inews
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Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
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