Kamran Foladi and the Crisis of Age Assessment in UK Asylum Procedures

By: Alarice Pow Ian-Ning

Editor: Taissiya Shegay

Editor-in-Chief: Grace Samuel

The opinions expressed in this article reflect the opinions of its author(s). They do not represent the views of the UCL International Relations Society, Circum Mundum or its Editorial Team.

Image credit: UCL Imagestore

‘They took me to a little dark room. Five people were holding me down. I was pushed to the floor. I was unconscious. When I came round, I realised I had no clothes on.'  

— Kamran Foladi   

The road to building a social, cultural and humanitarian haven for all, particularly children, has long served as a core humanitarian principle reflected in the United Nations Charter. This article argues that although increased awareness in advocating for asylum-seeking children has grown, there is still a lack of effective safeguards in age assessments.   

Foladi’s migration story from Afghanistan to the UK started after losing his family at the age of eight. Seeking refuge with his younger brother, they underwent manual labour in Iran before embarking on their perilous journey to London. Losing his brother at sea, Foladi navigated the new environment, traumatised and alone. His story recounts his experiences at the Harmondsworth Detention Centre and the Colnbrook Detention Centre, after being wrongly identified as an adult.   

In his memoir, he recounts security personnel forcefully removing all his clothes, leaving him cold in an empty room until the morning. This is one of many instances that Foladi has been abused and neglected by security. He is also only one of the many asylum-seeking children that have been wronged by the system.  

As more children account for a significant portion of the refugees, they have become integral to the international migration landscape. There is consequently heavy responsibility on the international community to uphold children's rights once they have arrived in their destination country 

However, instead of receiving proper support and protection to integrate into the new environment, the hardship Foladi faced on his journey was followed by further mistreatment upon arrival. The 2025 report by the Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium stated that there remain serious flaws in the age assessment process for children seeking asylum. Age verification becomes a primary obstacle for asylum-seeking children often due to the inability to produce valid identity documents. As a result, appearance and demeanour become the primary determinants for the ascertainment of age. From January to June 2024, local authorities in England and Scotland recorded that at least 262 children had been wrongly assigned to detention centres, subjecting them to extreme conditions and criminal charges.  

Language and educational barriers have also made children unaware of the rights they are entitled to. Though Foladi had documentation on hand, he was unable to read. Even when an interpreter ultimately helped him get in contact with the Home Office and Refugee Council, he was informed at the Home Office that he was being considered for deportation.  

Under the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, it is asserted that the presumption of minority underpins age assessment procedures if children are not to be denied their rights. It also states in Article 22 that whether accompanied or unaccompanied by their parents, a child shall enjoy the applicable rights set forth in the present Convention and in international human rights.  

It was only on the day of his intended deportation that Foladi was finally recognised as a child and was taken in by social services. Unfortunately, by then, Foladi had attempted suicide twice. ‘I… had not been treated like a human being. I had had enough and didn’t mind being deported.’ Though he has mentioned finding a new family and friends in the present day, Foladi mentions that he is constantly worrying. ‘I am constantly thinking so much… I don’t eat. I don’t sleep.’ This also raises concerns about the current within adult accommodations. 

The Home Office Reports from 2025 have highlighted the need for improved age assessment. The Home Office has begun trials to identify the most promising methods to identify age. Working with both scientific technology and artificial intelligence, they have identified facial age estimation technology as a potential tool moving forward. Since early September, they have embarked on its procurement process.  

There are, however, still additional aspects that need to be considered in the age assessment process. To avoid re-traumatisation, there is a need to understand an individual’s mental health, taking the time to build rapport and making them feel comfortable. There is a necessity to provide sufficient guidance and training to the people carrying out these procedures.  

Though there has been a push from the international community to ensure asylum-seeking children receive the appropriate supportand humanitarian response, it is imperative to remember that many children continue to be misclassified into adult detention centres today. Foladi’s memoir is a statement of his bravery and endurance.