Aldersbestemmelse

Aldersbestemmelse is the process of establishing a person’s chronological age for legal, administrative, or protective purposes. It is used in contexts such as asylum procedures, child protection, education rights, and juvenile justice, where age affects eligibility for certain rights or protections. The process seeks to determine whether an individual is a minor or an adult, or whether their age falls within specific brackets.

Authorities and frameworks vary by country. In many states, the decision is made by government agencies responsible for migration, asylum, or child protection, often with involvement from medical professionals and social workers. The guiding principle is the best interests of the child, and in many jurisdictions there is a presumption of minority when age is uncertain or disputed. There is also emphasis on privacy and avoiding disproportionate or invasive measures.

Methods to determine age include documentary evidence (birth certificates, civil registry records, passports), witness statements, and interviews or social investigations. When documentary evidence is unavailable or unreliable, authorities may resort to medical methods, such as dental development assessment or bone age estimation through X-ray imaging of the hand or other skeletal sites, sometimes supplemented by imaging techniques like MRI. Medical methods are considered a last resort and are subject to strict ethical and legal safeguards, including informed consent where possible and avoidance of procedures that cause unnecessary harm.

Challenges and limitations include variability in development due to genetics, nutrition, and health; the potential for errors in dating methods; and the risk of misclassifying individuals, with serious implications for rights and protections. See also: child protection, asylum procedures, bone age testing.