Unaccompanied minor refugees (UMF)
Back to: The Austrian Asylum System and its Functions
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Definition
Unaccompanied minor refugees are young people who are under 18 years of age and live in Austria without an accompanying person or legal guardian and apply for asylum here
These young people are subject to special protection, are normally cared for in age-appropriate institutions and also have special protection in the asylum procedure. All this ends at the age of 18.
Source (June 2019): https://www.asyl.at/de/themen/umf
Age assessment – Medical methods of age assessment
If there are doubts about the age, an age determination, the so-called „age diagnosis“, is ordered, which consists of a multifactorial medical examination.
The examination consists of the following partial examinations:
- Physical examination preceded by an interview
- X-ray examination of the hand
- Dental examination
- CT examination of the breastbone / clavicle joint
There are methodological, legal and ethical objections against this assessment, and there are also serious doubts about the validity of the methods used!
Source and further information see http://www.asyl.at/de/themen/umf
Supervision
During the asylum procedure, the young people are accommodated and cared for in a basic care centre, sometimes in a child and youth welfare institution. (Source: asylum coordination, as of October 2017)
The young people learn German, attend school or can do an apprenticeship. However, the actual possibilities for UMF are rather limited, since some have never attended school in their home country and can neither read nor write. Unaccompanied minor refugees have the right to school education, a direct entry into the professional world is de facto not possible.
Further information on unaccompanied minors can be found at the websites of Asyl.at:
UNHCR offers on its website information on the asylum procedure for UMF (pdf).